


Linked Worlds

by Lunar_Tear



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Blue hates puns, Crack, Fluff, Four and Shadow’s relationship is platonic, Four can’t decide how to feel about puns, Green loves puns, He can’t say the fuck word, Hyrule and Wild are gremlins, Hyrule is innocent, Hyrule needs a hug, LGBTQ Themes, Lots of Cursing, Mipha's Grace (Legend of Zelda), Multi, Sky is mom, So is time, Time is Dad, Warriors has a tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25482382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunar_Tear/pseuds/Lunar_Tear
Summary: Inspired by jojo56830's Linked Universe AU.When Link woke up, he expected another normal day. After all, his journey was complete. He was done being a hero. He could live a normal life now.Unfortunately, it seemed the goddesses had other plans.In which various incarnations of the Hero's Spirit meet, and chaos and adventures ensue.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four (Linked Universe) & Shadow Link, Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wild (Linked Universe), Legend & Sky (Linked Universe), Legend & Wild (Linked Universe), Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda), Link/Prince Sidon, Link/Ravio (Legend of Zelda), Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe), Sky/Sun (Linked Universe), Time & Twilight (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 416





	1. Sky

I'm terrified of the curse Demise placed upon mine and Zelda's descendants.

It won't affect me directly, of course, but the knowledge that someone else will have to bear the burden of Demises hatred weighs down on me like a pile of bricks. I could have stopped him from cursing the goddess's bloodline and the spirit of the hero. I should have stopped him.

Yes, I am terrified of the curse. But currently, I'm more terrified of the fact that a purple portal has opened up beneath my feet, dropping me as I yelp in surprise. I fall on my face, luckily not breaking anything. Sitting up quickly, I cough harshly, brushing the dirt off of my face and checking my nose. After my coughing fit subsides, I find that my bones are fine, and look around.

It's the surface, though, I've never seen this part of it before. I sit stunned on a dirt path, trees surrounding the small clearing of the forest I found himself in. There is lush grass, with beautiful flowers of blue, white, yellow, and pink. I then realize that I carry my traveling bag, while I have no memory of packing it. 

There is also a familiar weight on my back.

"Fi?!"

Why is Fi here?! I'm happy to see her, of course, but she should be back at home in her pedestal! Wait a minute.....

Home! Where is home?! Where am I?! What the heck is going on?!

The Master Sword pulses on my back.

"Calm down."

Hearing the familiar voice of my companion soothes me.

"Fi, where are we? What's going on?"

"I do not know our whereabouts or the reason of our arrival. The portal that took us radiated dark magic. Whatever is happening, we need to find the source of this magic."

Well, at least I have some sort of objective now.

"Sweet Hylia, are you okay? That fall looked nasty."

Quickly turning around, I see a forge that I had missed before, along with the person who must live in it. And man, that person is short. He looks to be the height of a child, though by his facial features, I can tell this boy must be in his late teens. He has straight, blond hair, that is pushed back from his face with a headband. His tunic is divided into fourths, each a different color. Strange, but hey, it's not my business what this possible kid wears.

"Um, I'm fine. No broken bones or anything."

"Well, that's good. How'd you manage falling from that height?" The not-kid offers his hand to help me up. I take it with a grateful smile.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was looking for the source of the rise in monsters, when all of a sudden, this portal opened up beneath me, and I ended up here. Strangely, I have my traveling bag and sword as well. I really can't get one normal day, can I?"

The smaller of us chuckles. 

"I get that. Well then, you want any help figuring out where you are? I can point you in the direction of where you need to go."

"That'd be great, thank you so much!"

"No problem. Oh, my name is Link."

I wasn't aware my name was shared.

"Oh boy, then we're gonna have a bit of confusion. My name is also Link."

"Huh, wasn't aware anyone else had that name. Well then, where are you from?"

"Skyloft, of course, but I'm living on the surface close to it. We've made some good progress with the settlement there."

"Skyloft? Are you sure you're okay, sir? Didn't hit your head? Skyloft only exists in legend."

"What? What do you mea-"

I'm cut off by the sensation of falling again. I scream a little bit from the unexpected fall, and other Link curses.

"Ow."

"What the hell just happened?! Do- my bag? Why is that here? How did the Four Sword end up here?!"

"Oh boy, are you okay?"

He looks at me with wide eyes.

"I'm physically fine I guess?! Is this what happened to you?"

"It is. I'm so sorry you got dragged into this, I have no idea what's happening."

"It's alright, doesn't seem to be any fault of yours."

We both look around at where we are now. We stand in the middle of a grassy field, with dirt roads leading to multiple structures. Across from us, about a day's walk away, is a castle with walls surrounding it.

"Any idea of where we are?" I ask my new found companion.

"Doesn't look like anywhere I've ever been. It looks like Death Mountain is in the distance over there, but everywhere else is unfamiliar."

In the corner of my eye, a man rides toward us on an unfamiliar creature. He approaches quickly, and halts a few feet away from us. Hopping off of the creature, he starts speaking to us.

"Are you two okay? You appear to have fallen from out of nowhere."

The man is tall, especially next to other Link. He wears armor and has a huge sword on his back. His face has strange markings, and his left eye is badly scarred. It's closed, seemingly for good. Intimidating, but he seems kind enough.

Link answers him first.

"It appears the two of us have been thrown into a strange situation, and we're a bit lost."

"You said you recognized the mountain though, just not the surrounding area. I don't recognize any of these places, or even the land. That castle, unless there's other people who have been living on the surface, shouldn't even exist. We're not even that far into the establishment of the first town. Maybe... is it time travel? That would explain why you said Skyloft is a legend. But how?"

The man squints his eyes at me. 

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Why do people keep saying that?!

"He doesn't seem to be concussed, and when he fell outside my house he didn't land on his head. Either he's crazy, or time travel is actually happening, both of which are possible. No offense. Anyways, my name is Link. This is also Link. Small world, huh? We've been teleported here by some strange looking portals."

I take full offense.

"Strange, that is also my name. You've both ended up in Hyrule Field, across from Castle Town."

"That looks nothing like Castle Town at home. I'm starting to think you're not so crazy after all, buddy."

I raise my eyebrow at him. He looks back at me completely serious. As I resist the urge to glare at him, older Link gasps.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"How did you get that sword?"

"You- how the heck do you recognize her? To answer your question, she appeared on my back after the first por-"

"The Hero of Time. He is the man that stands before you. At your side, is the Hero of Light."

"Huh? What do you mean, Fi?"

"Who's Fi?"

Ah. They can't hear her. Um.....

"Uh..... shes the-"

Once again, I'm cut off by dropping through another portal. I get cut off in the middle of my sentence, and fall on my face again. The shorter one, who I'm gonna start calling smithy, since he lives in a forge, falls on his back. The one Fi called the Hero of Time manages to land on his feet. 

This time, we're completely surrounded by forest. The grass is dry, and the sky..... oh Hylia, the sky is red.

"How many times is it gonna do that?" I ask as I pick myself up, offering the smith a hand. He takes it, looking at the sky as he gets to his feet.

"So just to clarify, this has happened three times to you, and twice to you?" the man asks, pointing at the smithy and I respectively. We both nod.

"What the hell? Is this a normal occurrence here, traveler?"

"N-no, it- it's only happened today."

Behind the Hero of Time are two young men. One has brown hair, a green tunic, and seems anxious, while the other wears a red tunic, blue cap, has a pink strip of hair, and looks utterly done with the world.

"Hey you three, by any chance, did you just come through a weird portal of no free will whatsoever?"

"Uh, yes, actually. Do you know what's going on?" I respond to the question with my own.

"No clue. I was hoping you'd have answers. Whatever's going on, if Hylia sent me on another goddess damned quest, I'm going to find a very tall cliff and jump into the abyss."

"Wait, what?! I thought I was the only one who had gone on a quest for Hylia."

"What the hell is happening?!" the anxious kid asks no one in particular.

"That's what we're trying to figure out, traveler. Anyways, name's Link. The traveler's name is also Link. As I just established, we're trying to figure out what the hell is happening."

"Why is everyone named 'Link' all of a sudden?" the smithy asks.

"I still think it's time travel," I say. The tallest nods.

"I'm starting to agree with you. After all, that sword should be locked in the Temple of Time." 

"Master, the two who stand before you are the Heroes of Legend and Hyrule, from the downfall timeline." What? Downfall timeline?

Right as she finishes talking, we fall again. I don't scream this time. We land in the middle of a peaceful village. It's filled with small huts. There are a few pumpkin farms, and a small creek. All of the villagers turn their attention to us. The traveler flinches when he realizes there are so many eyes on us.

"Well I'll be damned, it happened again." A warm voice with an accent I've never heard before comes from behind me. I turn around, and a man with sandy blond hair stands with his arms crossed. He has grey markings on his face, a green tunic, and an animal pelt on his shoulders. Another teen stands next to him, with long hair and scars on the right side of his face, trailing down to his shoulder. He wears a blue tunic, black hood, and has a strange tablet on his hip. He fidgets, clearly nervous. Another one of those strange creatures is by the first person's side.

"Y'all alright? Seems you came from a portal as well. I'm tryin ta help this one get home, he came through one too. My name's Link, you're in Ordon Village."

"Yeah, here's the thing, we're all named Link," replies the bitter one with the blue cap.

"We could at least try being polite," the traveler says.

"Sorry about that, I'm- well, as he said, we're all Link. We've been being pulled through these strange portals. Would you happen to know what's going on?" I ask the new Link.

"The Hero of Twilight, and the Hero of the Wild," Fi adds. Are these guys heroes too? Possibly from the future? Oh no... have they been affected by Demises curse? It might explain why we're all named Link...

I'll just hope that's not the case.

"No idea, sorry. I'll do whatever I can to help y'all out, th-"

Yet another portal opens up, making me wonder how many times this is going to happen. We land in the sand, the smell of salt water drifting through the air.

"What in tarnation?!"

This is probably the accent guy's first time.

"Oh fuck! Are you guys okay?!"

A much younger voice greets us. He's taller than smithy, though he's obviously younger. His eyes are wide and expressive, and he wears a blue tunic, like the Hero of the Wild. Not who I'd expect to hear cursing.

"Hero of Winds. Don't underestimate him, Master. He's skilled, despite being young."

"We've been thrown through so many portals in such a short amount of time, if I wasn't concerned about what's going on I would probably be passed out," smithy says. He looks pale. I should probably be ready to catch him at any given time.

"Portals, huh? I wonder if this has anything to do with the rise in monsters recently. Anyways, my name is Link. Need help getting to wherever you need to go? You're on Outset Island right now."

"Welcome to the team," the angry one says sarcastically. He seems stiff and uncomfortable here. Maybe he's feeling off from the portals as well?

"Outset?" the oldest Link questions. "Hold on a minute, To-"

Whatever he was going to ask is lost as we fall through another portal. We land in another field, though this one is crawling with monsters. I immediately draw Fi, ready to defend the more disoriented of our group. The kid curses and draws his own sword, as do a few others.

Luckily, we don't need to fight. A flash of blue and green takes down the monsters with ease, surprising me immensely. There must have been fifty of them, and this person just took them down with a few swipes of their sword!

"Is anyone hurt? We're close to Castle Town, there are plenty of medics there."

The blond man who saved us has a green tunic, blue scarf, and minimal armor. He had a regal look to him, that commands respect.

There are multiple mutters of people saying they're fine. I keep Fi in my hand. Who knows what could be waiting to sneak op on us next time?

"Holy shit, Captain?!" The young one we picked up last time makes his way to the front of the group, excitement on his face.

"Sailor?! I thought you went back home!" the captain grins, and gives the kid a hug. 

"Oh my goddesses, it is you! I don't know how the fuck I got here, there was this weird portal, and boom! Back in your Hyrule!"

"The Hero of Warriors. He might know something about what's happening, he's dealt with dimensional issues before."

"Thanks Fi," I whisper before turning to the captain. "Um, excuse me sir? We've been getting pulled through strange portals, and I was wondering if you knew anything about what's happening?"

He pulls back from the hug with the kid. 

"Strange portals, huh? The only person I know who could've been the cause is... well, she's not around. If I may, where did you get that sword?" He glares are me in suspicion. 

"The hell?! Is that the Master Sword?!" the one with the accent exclaims. The Hero of the Wild tenses up, backing away slightly and looking at the sword.

"The fuck?!" the angry one glares at me as well.

"The real question is why you all recognize her as well! Look, I don't know how she ended up here either, she should be on her pedestal. When I was first teleported, she ended up in my sheath! I don't know how to help you all believe me, but if you recognize her, then you must know that only the hero can wield her. Here I am, wielding her. I usually don't go around telling my title to strangers, but... I'm Link, the Chosen Hero. I come from Skyloft, and I'm one of the founders of Hyrule." Oh Hylia, please believe me.

"Skyloft? Hold on, you're the one Fi was talking about!"

"You know Fi?"

"Yeah! After C- after a sorceress merged a few other dimensions into ours, completely new areas appeared, like Skyloft. I met Fi there, she helped me out a lot. She also spoke of you, Hero of Skies. Whatever is happening here definitely involves some time travel, since the events of your time happened thousands of years ago."

"Th-thousands?! Oh my goddesses... I'm so far from home..."

That means it's entirely possible that these people all have the Hero's Spirit. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. The visible scars on the Heroes of Time and Wild..... the mental scars that they all surely have..... it's all my fault. I should have killed him before he could curse us all. 

("Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!")

Dread and horror creep from the pit of my stomach into my chest. I grow dizzy, and the world spins beneath my feet. I can't catch my breath, my heart is beating so fast. Nausea builds inside of me. I start wheezing with every breath, and I start coughing. There are muffled voices that are laced with concern. Wait a minute... I can't catch my breath! I can't... now that I think of it, am I having an attack?

I cough some more. Yep, I am. I'll have to worry about curses later. I sit down and shuffle through my bag. Please say I have it, please say I have it...

"Hey! What's happening? Are you okay?!"

I realize that everyone is looking at me with concern. They must have been calling me.

"Yeah, I'm f-"

I'm cut off by more coughing.

"Fine, just having... a hard time breathing."

"That sounds not fine! Do you need a potion?"

"Potion won't..... it won't help. Don't worry, it's normal." Aha! Found it. I pick up the inhaler and shake it. 

"Normal?!"

"What're you doing?"

"Ohhhh, you have asthma!" the captain says in realization. I nod and cough a bit more. Finally done shaking, I'm able to use it.

After a few deep breaths, I put the inhaler back in my bag and sheath Fi. I stand up and dust off my pants.

"Sorry about that, I had a small moment of panic. And then an asthma attack. The air here is super dry, and the changes in worlds and different air pressures and stuff probably didn't help. Now, I think we should all focus on getting home."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" the oldest asks. I nod again with a soft smile.

"No need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

A portal drops me flat on my back. I can hear groans of annoyance, and a few yelps of surprise.

"Master, the surrounding area is unfamiliar. We appear to be in another forest, different from last time."

"Do you know which forest?"

"I'm afraid I have no clue."

"Darn."

I slowly get up, offering my hand to those in need. After everyone is standing, we each survey the area. 

"Helloooo? No new Link that needs to make themself known?"

After a few moments of silence, I let out a soft sigh and let my shoulders sag from the weight of everything that just happened.

"So, you're the Chosen Hero?" the smith asks me.

"Yep."

He lets a smile slip, and I swear his eyes just turned green for a second!

"Okay, so, I know I'm going to sound like an annoying fan, but I grew up with stories of you, and I'd just like to say, you're fucking awesome."

"Oh, uh, um, thank you? I'm really not..." I feel my face heat up. I've never done that well with getting praise, and after not stopping the curse, I don't think I deserve it. So, time to change the subject!

"So, uh, Fi's been telling me that all of you guys are heroes as well?"

"First of all, yes, second of all, who's Fi?" the kid questions.

"Well, Fi is the spirit of the Master Sword."

"The voice?" This is the first time I've heard the Hero of the Wild talk. I nod in confirmation.

"What voice?" the young sailor asks.

"They say a voice can be heard from the Master Sword. I'd never heard her, though," the oldest hero says.

"Really?" What happened, Fi?

"Huh, me neither. So, you said she told you we're all heroes?"

"Yeah, when I met each of you, she stated your titles. She also said something weird about timelines, which tipped me off to the time travel thing."

"Well then, I just realized I haven't properly introduced myself. Captain Link, Hero of Warriors. Pleasure to meet you all."

"You do realize we're all named Link, right?" the snarky one says sarcastically. Man, he seems like he's irritated 24/7. 

"I'm aware, just thought I should properly introduce myself. You know, to be polite. Ever heard of it?" 

This is not going to end well. The others seem to think the same.

"Alrighty y'all, lets break it up before it even starts. I get where you're coming from, captain. Hero titles might help differentiate us. I'm the Hero of Twilight." You know, his weird accent fits him and his way of speaking.

"I'm the Hero of Winds!" Fi said not to underestimate this one. But... he's a kid. Whatever he's been through... I did it to him.

"Fine then, captain, I'll play your game. Hero of Legend. That's me."

"Oh! I've heard of you! Um, I think I come after you. I'm the Hero of Hyrule. That's um..... really the only title I've ever been given." Despite being so shy, he seems like a brave kid. He was ready to fight as soon as we touched the ground of captain's time.

"I have a million freaking titles. The most commonly used ones are Hero of Light, Hero of Minish, and Hero of the Four Swords."

"I'm the Hero of Time. I've heard tales of you, Hero of Light."

"Hero of Time?! Oh my gosh! Almost everyone in my world's heard stories about you!" The young sailor has a huge smile on his face.

"Really? I thought I'd been forgotten about."

"I'm... uh I, I- I'm the....." he struggles with his words, stumbling over them. They can't seem to escape his lips. He grows frustrated, obviously trying his hardest to tell us his title.

"You're the Hero of the Wild, right?" I add.

He sighs and nods, giving me the smallest grateful smile.

"Well then, we'd best figure out what's happening. It's been two minutes and eleven seconds since we arrived in this forest, and it's approaching nightfall. We should find a place to camp." How the heck does he know the exact amount of time we've been here? Does it have to do with his title?

That's beside the point. He's right about making camp, so that's exactly what we do. The Hero of the Wild sets up a fire and a cooking pot, and starts making something that smells delicious after he asks everyone about food allergies. I set up my bedroll in the outskirts of camp.

"Hey, you. Why are you setting up so far away? That's dangerous, ya know." Did the annoyed veteran seriously just call me, 'Hey you'?

"Well, I have this tendency to....... well, to unintentionally cuddle the nearest person or thing while I'm sleeping, and I didn't want it to happen and make anyone uncomfortable."

"Cuddle? What's that?" What?! The traveler- is he being serious right now?! Oh goddess Hylia, this poor kid has never cuddled with anyone before! Is this my fault, too?

Everyone looks at him in shock. He shrinks into himself under everyone's gazes.

"I really have no idea how to explain it. I guess, um, in my sleep, I kind of unconsciously hug whatever is closest to me? People do it on purpose with someone they're comfortable around, I just... I'm weird."

"Okay then... can... can you explain what a hug is?"

This child needs therapy and cuddles. I'm adopting him now.

"It- it's when you... uhh, how do I explain this?" I never thought I'd need to explain a hug! I'm so very concerned about his childhood! Everyone else, sensing his discomfort, have stopped staring and are leaving the explanation to me. Darn it! I need help!

"Y-you don't have to explain, I, uh, I know I'm oblivious to a lot of things... I'll be fine."

He most certainly will not be fine.

"No no no, it's okay! It's just weird putting into words. I've never been good at vocally explaining things. It's when... when you and another person wrap your arms around each other? People do it in greetings, or in comfort, or just to let each other know they care."

"Oh, okay. Th- uh, thank you!"

If he ever trusts me enough, I'm giving him the biggest hug ever. 

"Just move the damn bedroll closer to the fire, stupid. Better if someone's uncomfortable rather than dead."

"You can sleep next to me! I don't mind," the sailor offers.

"Are you sure? I mean, we just met and I don't want you to be uncomfortable and-"

"Just take the offer, geez."

"Yo veteran, quit being rude."

"I'm not being rude, captain, I'm making sure he doesn't die in the middle of the night."

"It's really okay, I'm used to it."

"Used to it?! You shouldn't be used to it!"

"Oh, that sounded bad! I mean, I grew up with a guy who bullied me a lot, but we're on good terms now, and nothing really phases me anymore. I'm really fine!"

The captain narrows his eyes at me.

"Alright then, but I'm keeping an eye on you. You really should move closer to camp, though."

"Okay....." I pick up my stuff, and the sailor waves me over to where he's set up. I hesitantly set down my things next to his.

"It's really okay, you know. Oftentimes I'll wake up to find my little sister cuddled up with me, so if anyone's gonna be okay with it, it's me."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah!"

The next morning, I wake to find the sailor hugging me in his sleep, and a few snickering heroes. Whatever the outcome of this journey, I think I'll find some good friends.

Yes, I am terrified of the curse that has been placed upon these unique people. But I'm more terrified of how the curse has affected these future heroes.


	2. Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cook reminisces about the past week with the other heroes of courage as he goes through his photo album.

The Hylian Champion sits in a tree above camp. He scrolls through the photo album on his Sheikah Slate, letting a smile slip occasionally.

The past week, he's been traveling with a group of heroes. Having never travelled with so many other people before, his anxiety levels have been through the roof. They seem like nice people, but with the damn Yiga Clan ambushing him every few steps, he can't seem to trust anyone.

Well, at least if they're Yiga, they've been really patient with his choppy sentences and constant fidgeting. 

He scrolls to a picture of a bird they had seen in the forest they had first camped out in. He had taken the picture to show Zelda, she would be fascinated for sure. Then the sailor had asked what he was doing.

"Whatcha doing? Ooo, is that some sort of pictobox?"

Of course, he was still having issues talking around them. So, he signed.

"Sheikah Slate. Takes pictures, stores materials, and a bunch of other things."

"Wow, that's amazing! My pictobox can only take pictographs, but it's still awesome! You won't believe some of the things I've managed to capture!"

The youngest Link showed the champion a picture of his own. He and a girl who looks just like him sit side by side on a beach, hugging.

"That's me and my sister, Aryll. I had my grandma take this for me."

That had struck something within him.

"You have a sister?"

"Yep! I'm a big brother!"

Flashes of a memory flew by. Red hair, and a name that sat on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't remember anything else about whoever she was. Her name had started with an 'M'. Molly? Max? Mar..... Mar something. He could figure it out later, when he was back home, not traveling with a group too big for his taste.

The next picture is of a flame blade. They had switched worlds- Hyrules- times? Whatever, they had switched, and had ended up near Mount Hylia in his time, and fuck if it wasn't cold. They had managed to get to warmth near the Old Man's (King's?) house relatively soon, but he had equipped the flame blade to keep warm. He then realized he hadn't added it to the compendium. How? He had no clue, but ended up taking a picture anyways. He would have deleted it after, if smithy hadn't came up to him first.

"Whoah, that's a nice sword."

It was nicer than the one he previously had equipped, which was a travelers sword that was close to breaking. The blacksmith probably didn't see stuff like this from regular customers. The champion decided to try his hand at talking.

"It... it was forged in Death Mountain. Found it in..... um, in a... a shrine."

"Cool." The smithy was trying to keep his composure, but he was failing to hide the spark in his eyes. His eyes which were also... purple? Huh. Link could've sworn that his other self had brown eyes.

"Do you... wanna, uhhhh..... wanna take a look at it?" Nice. He was very proud of his sentence that only contained two pauses and one uh.

"Really? You're- you're cool with that?"

The champion nodded in response, offering his sword soon after. The smithy then spent the entirety of the break examining the flame blade and theorizing about how it worked, handing it back to the champion with thanks when the short rest was over.

That photo wouldn't be deleted anytime soon now. What if he lost his memory again? That seemed like a moment he'd like to remember. Bonding a bit with his new companion, and being able to talk with him. 

So, he'd started deliberately taking pictures whenever he could, to make sure if something important happened, he could remember it.

The next picture was a wolf sniffing the camera. It wasn't just any wolf, though. It was the one who'd accompanied Link, from the Shrine of Resurrection, to the entrance of Hyrule Castle. He'd told the wolf to stay outside. He couldn't bear the thought of the creature getting hurt. After everything was over, though, he never managed to find his loyal companion again. 

But then, the veteran hero went after the ranch hand, who had been out scouting far longer than he should have been. The champion had mixed feelings about the one he'd found attending to the goats of his own time. He was so familiar, it made Link want to trust him so badly. That made him extremely suspicious of the man, though. How can you trust someone you've never met?

They'd ended up camping out in the abandoned house of the Old Man. The country boy had went to make sure no monsters lurked nearby, and had been gone half an hour before the veteran (who was not soft, just didn't want a death on his hands) went to search for him. Instead of coming back with the tall guy with a country accent, he came back with a friendly wolf following him.

"Guys! Everything is horrible! I can't find the country dumbass, and this wolf started following me around!" 

They had been in a circle by the cooking pot, as the cook was waiting for the rice to be ready. In truth, they were all concerned about the missing member, even if none of them really trusted him yet. So, they waited, telling small tales and watching the food be made. As soon as the veteran shouted to them, they had all perked up, some hands flying to swords.

The Hylian Champion only rose from where he was crouching on the ground. He stared down the wolf, as the veteran told the others about the wolf's strange behavior.

"Not attacking me, no hostility towards any animals it crossed paths with. It's just following me around like a creep."

The wolf glared at the annoyed hero, offense clear on its face. Only for a second. Then, it's attention turned towards the cook, tail slightly wagging.

"Wolfie?"

The tail wagged harder then, and the wolf approached slowly. It was painstaking, how slow the pup's advance was. Link went forward as well, before crouching down and offering his hand for Wolfie to sniff. He didn't even bother sniffing, shoving his head into the hand for pets immediately, because he had found his cub. He found him, finally, and the goddesses would not be separating them this time.

Wolfie has left since then, but he returned every so often. The ranch hand came back some time after the wolf had left, claiming to have been trapped due to his foot being tangled in some vines. He only thought to use a sword two hours later.

They were never around at the same time, though. Maybe the ranch hand was afraid of dogs?

The next picture was definitely a favorite.

It was beautiful. It was surprisingly well taken.

It was an explosion.

The picture was just as grand as it had been in the moment. So bright, so awe inspiring, so destructive.

Yesterday, it had been. They were traveling through woods that nobody had recognized as their own time's. The smithy and the old man (Rude nickname, he knows, but everyone calls him that now) had been discussing the sword strapped to the taller's back. The young pirate had the Chosen Hero and country boy's attention, telling a story of his time traveling the ocean. The veteran had been going back and forth with the captain for a while, exchanging insults and such. Off to the side, withdrawn and dejected, was the traveler.

"The storm threw the boat off balance, and suddenly, from the waves, came a massive squid, eyes covering its whole body!"

The sailor's journey seemed enthralling, but Link worried more about the traveler. He noticed the very things the Hero of Hyrule tried to keep hidden from the others. The flinches that came whenever someone lifted a hand, the knife hidden in his left boot, the stutters and hesitation. He noticed because he did the same things.

With the next break, came an idea.

"Hey, if... if the old man gives the okay, wanna explore the area?"

"Huh?"

"I- I mean, um, we'll never know who's world it is unless we take a look around, right? And, as much as... as much as I appreciate the banter and stuff, I'm not used to such a big group. Y-you don't have to, I know I'm standoffish and probably suspicious-"

"No no no, I'd be happy to explore! I just wasn't expecting the question."

They were both too awkward for their own good. He hoped this little expedition would help the traveler out of his shell. 

So, with permission from the Hero of Time, who had unintentionally become the go to guy for leader stuff, they set off into the unknown forest.

"I don't get why the others feel the need for a map. Part of the fun is just going wherever your feet carry you!"

"I know, right? Of course I have a map, but I don't really use it unless I'm in a hurry. The most interesting things pop up unexpectedly."

"Yeah! I-"

He cut himself off to gasp and pulled the cook down to a crouching position. He pointed towards a clearing in the forest, with various monsters camping out. Now, Link had no idea what they were, but there were bones everywhere, so he assumed that they couldn't be good. 

"Moblins and bokoblins. What do we do?"

It seems that monsters did a bit of evolving, because these were nothing like the ones back home. They were outnumbered. If they tried fighting, they could probably make it. Probably. 

"We're coming this way later, right? We should take them out so we have a better time traveling later. I have an idea."

"What kind of idea?" 

"How many bombs do you have?"

And so, the idea was set into motion. Link sat hidden in one tree, as the traveler sat in another on the opposite side of the camp. The champion gave the signal, and the fun began.

The traveler rained bombs upon the unsuspecting monsters, as Link shot every single one of them with a fire arrow as they neared the ground. And when they hit the ground? That's when things got better.

His work done, the champion sat back and enjoyed the show, taking a picture of the climax of their reign of terror. He could hear the usually quiet traveler maniacally laughing, just like Link does when he's not around people. Yes, he enjoys explosions and arson, so what? 

When they returned to the others, their hair was messy and they had huge grins on their faces. When the others asked what had happened, they both just grinned wider and simultaneously said,

"Arson."

Needless to say, both the ranch hand and the veteran had been very concerned. 

"Like worried parents," the Hylian Champion had said quietly to the traveler, as they were getting lectured.

Yeah, he had a feeling they were going to be best friends.

Currently, he is looking at the camp they had set up in the veteran's time. It’s nearing nightfall, which means even if they decided to continue to the next town, the innkeepers would be fast asleep by the time they got there.

“I’ve never really camped out like this. I’ve only ever travelled by boat, so I just napped on there when the trips were long.”

“I do hope that hasn’t affected your sleeping patterns?”

“Well, I’m mostly fine. It felt so good to be back on a normal sleeping schedule again.”

Link hops down from his tree branch. Time to start a fire and get cooking. The first time anyone else tried cooking, it was the traveler, and they all nearly died. So, the Hero of the Wild claimed cooking duty as his own.

He sweeps through his materials, deciding on pumpkin stew, seeing as the Chosen Hero and the old man don’t eat meat, and the smithy has the strangest aversion to peppers. He himself has a hydromelon allergy, but he doesn’t really care. It’s worth the hives. He would eat hydromelons just to spite the goddess who told him he couldn’t.

The traveler, who was previously trying to dispel another argument between the veteran and captain, sits down next to the cook.

“Hey, so I have a question.”

Link nods at him to continue.

“Alright, so, if you put poison in a red potion, does it heal you or kill you?”

The Hylian Champion ponders this for a minute, then turns to face the traveler.

“I have no idea. Shall we find out?”

“Where are we gonna get the poison though?”

“Excuse me?”

He must have been too loud, because nearly every head turns in their direction. Some look at them with suspicion, others in confusion.

“Poison. For science,” Link tells them.

“Yeah, we’re gonna see what happens if you put poison in a red potion.”

“No you’re not! Do you realize how stupid that sounds?!”

“Hold on country boy, that’s actually a valid question. I wanna see this.” The blacksmith is truly a man of culture. They should make a secret club of gremlins.

“No! This ain’t science, it’s a death wish!”

“I agree. How about a compromise? You don’t poison yourselves, and I tell you about what happened to me when I poisoned and consumed a red potion.”

“Old man! I thought better of you!”

“You really shouldn’t have.”

Old man gets an invite to the club.

As they get yet another lecture from the ranch hand, with the veteran joining in, Link smiles to himself. They really do act like parents. Parents he can’t remember. 

.......................He’ll do his best to remember them all. Amnesia won’t take more people from him. It won’t. He won’t let it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, yay! Thanks to everyone who left kudos and feedback on the last chapter. This is cross posted on Wattpad. I love the gremlin children that are Wild and Hyrule.


	3. Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of letters from Warriors to someone waiting for him back home.

Dear Jay,

It's been a strange day.

I was defending a small town from a monster attack, when eight people of various ages and backgrounds fell from the sky.

I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but it's true. Guess who was there though? The little sailor! It turns out, he and a bunch of other incarnates of the Hero's Spirit ended up getting thrown through a bunch of portals until they reached our time. Probably not the craziest thing that's ever happened to me, but it only really clicked when I was thrown through a portal with them.

Someone else was there that I recognized. Remember how I told you about that other kid with the same name as me? The one with the crazy masks? He's here too, though he doesn't seem to recognize me. He's also older. Like, a lot older. And he seems... well, he's much more scarred. Literally. His left eye is gone. I wonder what happened to him. Was it my fault for not being there? Does he blame me? Is that why he's not acknowledging that we know each other?

..... Anyways, I miss you. I'll be back to visit as soon as I can, okay?

Love, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dear Jay,

It's my second day with the other Links- did I mention we were all named Link? Well, it's our second day together, and we're in a forest that the traveler recognizes as his own. You'd think that since he recognized the forest, he'd know how to get out, right?

We got hopelessly lost. We're so lost, Jay. We need help.

So, I got into a little argument with the veteran of our group. Let me tell you, he's a real asshole. He's got a pink strip of hair though, which is pretty cool (though I'll never tell him that). He was being a real dick, he was all like, "We should go this way because I said so" and he calls everyone the equivalent of 'Hey you'. Well, I guess we all do, but he says it exactly like that! Real sarcastic all of the time. Doesn't even deserve the whole paragraph I wrote about him.

Not much else happened today. I guess I can tell you about everyone else. There's a lot, so I'm gonna aim for one sentence per person.

Hero of Time, or old man as we call him, tall, leader type, different from the little shit he was when I last saw him. Chosen Hero of Skyloft, really nice guy, cuddler, his head is in the clouds a lot (Haha, pun). Hero of Twilight, ranch hand, country accent, already acts like a mom when the sailor tries to do a stupid thing. I've told you all about the sailor already, haven't I? Still like a little brother to me. Hero of Hyrule, 'humble traveler', anxious kid, brave despite that, bad sense of direction. Hero of the Wild, also called the Hylian Champion, the only competent cook, also anxious, barely verbal. Hero of Light, the blacksmith, has a million titles, intelligent, bit strange but a nice guy overall. He's also really short. 

Wow, this letter got long. That tends to happen when I write to you, though. I'll tell you more about them as I get to know them more. I love you!

Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dear Jay,

Something happened today. Another portal dropped us as we were walking, and we landed in snow. According to the champion, we're in his time, and we'd been dropped near Mount Hylia. We made it out of the snow pretty quickly, but it didn't change the fact that it was cold as shit. 

Don't laugh. I know you're laughing, Jay. It's not my fault I can't tolerate the cold, damn it!

The veteran made fun of me too. Luckily, we found a small house to take shelter in, and the temperature rose quickly. The ranch hand went scouting, and the veteran went after him when he'd been gone for a while. Don't get me wrong, I was worried too, but he's a hero. He can handle himself. So when the veteran suggested sending someone to find him after half an hour (28 minutes and 6 seconds, according to the old man), I took the opportunity to call him soft. His reaction was hilarious, Jay. He yelled at me about how not soft he was, then went after the country boy himself.

Then he returned with a wolf following him. I was concerned at first, but the cook seems to have tamed it, so it's fine. Wolfie left after a while, and the ranch hand returned soon after.

He was trapped in vines. He forgot about his sword. He's never going to hear the end of it.

That's all the important stuff, really. The cook made really good curry rice. I'm sure you'd hate it, though, I know you don't like spicy things. You'd like it better than whatever the traveler cooked yesterday, though. I don't know what the hell he did, but he managed to burn soup. At least, he called it soup. It did not look like soup. He undercooked it, too. Burned, undercooked, questionable soup.

The champion claimed cooking duty from now on. Thank the goddesses.

I'm going to go now. As always, I miss you, and I'll write again tomorrow.

With love, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dearest Jay,

The anniversary is almost here. I hope I can be there. It's crazy to think it's about to be three years, isn't it?

Day four with the group. The old man pulled me aside today. Almost everyone pulled the classic, "Ohhhhh he's in troubllllle" line. I wasn't in trouble.

He told me he remembered everything, and that he was sorry about not acknowledging it sooner. He was surprised to find that I recognized him. I just ruffled his hair, which was hard since he got so big, and smiled.

"This is an outrage, you weren't supposed to get taller than me."

He may be older, but he's still my little brother. I wonder if the sailor recognizes him.

The cook almost made an omelet today, but upon realizing the Chosen Hero detested eating eggs, he decided on skewers. He personalized them all, actually. He made vegetarian ones for the old man and the Skyloftian, seafood for the sailor, and so on. I got a meat skewer. Fantastic, as always. The anxious chef has yet to disappoint anyone.

That's all the news for today. Love ya!

Sincerely, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dear Jay,

Turns out, the cook and the traveler just needed some time to come out of their shells. We ended up in a place nobody recognized, and during a break the two most withdrawn members of the group went to explore. It was a strange transition. They left nervously, and returned with wild looks on their faces. Do you know what they were doing Jay?

They had gone and blown up a monster camp. Just the two of them, an assload of bombs, fire arrows, and a monster camp. Extremely dangerous. And the worst thing?

They didn't invite me! Jay, they left me behind to have the awesome explosive fun all by themselves! I love bombs! The picture they got was awesome, I bet it was even better in person.

Oh well, I'll just have to make my love for arson extremely obvious so they know to take me with them next time.

Okay, I know you didn't exactly like me going to blow things up either. I don't see the harm in it, but for you, love, I'll do my best to leave it alone.

I hope we don't run into any other monsters, though. I realize that the little pirate can take care of himself, but I worry too much about him already. I don't think I can handle his risky combat style. It works, yes, but the few times it doesn't, I end up patching him up while having a nervous breakdown. Like a mom. 

You used to do that with me. I wonder if this is how you felt?

Our plan is to find the nearest Zelda and ask her what's happening. I hope to the goddesses it's not Tetra we have to ask. She's great, and she handles herself in combat very well, it's just... well, we don't get along that great. And I know for a fact that she and the veteran would bicker to no end.

Tomorrow is the anniversary. I don't know if I'll be there, and it's tearing me apart. I'll write if I can't be there myself, okay?

Love, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

My dearest, Jason,

I couldn't make it. I'm so sorry, love.

Today is the anniversary of your death. It's still so hard to believe you're gone. I have so many regrets. I regret not going public with our relationship, I regret not being able to introduce you to the sailor and young masked me, I regret not being able to save you. Out of all my regrets, being with you was not one of them.

You are my sunshine. My light. My blue jay. You could do so much that nobody else can, and I'm not talking about your talents as a soldier. I'm talking about how you could brighten the worst of days, and in the rare moments you couldn't, you stayed by my side and helped me through it. 

On your dying breath, you told me to be happy. Then you handed me a crumpled, bloody letter with shaky hands. You tried saying something else, but it was so quiet. Before you could repeat yourself so I could hear, you died in my arms.

I read and reread that letter so may times. There's never a moment when it's not by my side or in my pocket. I remember, two days after the war started, you came to me and you cried. You cried so hard, and you gripped on to me like I would disappear if you let go. It broke my heart to see you so sad. You never told me why you were upset, and I let it go, thinking you would tell me when you were comfortable.

Two weeks later, you were gone. A year and a half, and the war was won. I wonder if you wrote the letter that night. Is that why you were so broken?

Do you read these letters? Are you able to see them? If you can, please, please, know that I love you more than anything. I would steal all of the stars in the sky if only to see you happy one last time. Words fail to convey how much I love you, Jay. So for you, I'll try to find happiness. It was your last wish, after all.

With all the love in the world, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dearest Link,

I’m writing this letter in case I can’t come home after the war. I know that you and I are the top two in our classes, but that doesn’t make us indestructible, no matter how much I wish it were true.

If you receive this, it means I’ve died. Link, I need you to find happiness. I love you, so so much, more than I love mom’s home cooked meals, and you know how much I love those. 

All joking aside, I love you, my dearest, and that is why you need to continue living without me. And I don’t mean simply existing, I mean living. Laughing and crying and falling and getting back up. Making mistakes and fixing them, hating and loving. Don’t get hung up on me.

I know it’s a lot to ask. It will be hard, and for that, I’m sorry. But you can do it. You’re capable. I believe in you, love. You’re so strong, not just on the battlefield. You’ve endured so many hardships, and you stood back up, squared your shoulders, looked Life right in the eye and punched them in the face.

Every step of the way, I’ll be there for you. I’ll be by your side, holding your hand, even if you can’t feel or see me. I’ll be there, even after you recover, watching you live your life and be happy. There will never be a time when I’m truly gone. So stand up when you’re ready, square your shoulders, look Life in the eye, and beat the shit out of them for me.

Stay alive, my dearest, as long as you can. I’ll be there making sure you survive the challenges you’re faced with.

Forever yours, Jason.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew finally lands close enough to Castle Town to talk to Zelda, and Four has trouble sleeping.

Camp is quiet tonight. We're all just eating in silence. Should we try initiating a conversation? We should. No, it could fail and end up awkward. It would benefit us to get to know these people more, especially since we don't know how long we'll be stuck with them. Awkward situations are pretty bad though..... 

Compromise. Wait for someone to speak up, and if they don't for a while we can? That's actually pretty good. The sailor will most likely start something up by five minutes. Alright, looks like that's what's happening. 

..........It's so quiet though. Is it time yet? No. Awww.

"So, anyone play an instrument?"

Yes! Captain said something! Finally not quiet. Do we have any musical talent though? Vio's learning violin. There's also the ocarina of winds! That we know one song on.

"W- I'm learning violin, and I play a bit of ocarina." Almost slipped and said we. We have to be more careful about that.

"I actually play violin as well." Country boy? Violin? Well yeah, it's not only used in classical music, it can play a variety of genres, as well as country- Nerd. Shut up. They're talking, shush!

"I- I can play recorder." Still a bit shy. A lot better since that explosive trip with the cook.

"I play ocarina." Old man has musical talent? Don't be rude!

"I do as well. Along with a few other instruments. Lets see, cello, horn, bell, harp, marimba, triangle, organ, and drum." Damn.

"Wow, that's a lot! I don't really play an instrument, but I can conduct." If there's one thing we can agree on, it's that the sailor is much too young for whatever he's been through. Almost fourteen, like we were.

Yeah, too young. Hopefully he wasn't ripped apart at the seams.

"I don't really remember being able to play anything." The cook is strange. He's obviously affected by his past, whatever it may be. What happened? Best to leave it alone.

"I play a bit of harp. I'm not that great, though." He may appear more confident, but it seems to us that he's more doubtful of himself than he lets on. 

"Sheik- well, Zelda tried teaching me harp at some point. I'm terrible at it though, I'm sure you're better than I am."

"Oh, you're definitely better than the captain. I was there when he was learning. Sounded like a dying seagull."

"Come on, sailor! It wasn't that bad!"

"I can back him up. It was like listening to the strangled last words of a goat."

"Old man!"

"Wait, you've listened to his 'harp practice'?"

"You're not the only one who was thrown into that war. Remember the kid with the masks?"

"Oh my gosh, how?! You were so young! And such a little shit!" Wow. Well then. He curses a lot for a kid. He may be a kid, but he's a pirate. Wait, they know each other from before?

"Time travel, I suppose."

After dinner, we do our best to fall asleep. It can get hard sometimes, with so many conflicting thoughts. On bad days, when we're more split than usual, it's even worse. Luckily, today wasn't a bad day.

Okay, sleep. Sleep. Sleep is a funny word, isn't it? Settle down. Sorry.

.....Sleep rhymes with sheep. What if sheep are clouds that got really lost? You're gonna be the one that's really lost if you don't shut it. Sorry!

Hey, do you think-

[SLEEP RED! SLEEP! NOW!]

(Ah! Okay! Sorry...)

It takes a while, but we manage to get enough sleep. We wake to the smell of breakfast and the sounds of silent chatter. The sky reminds us of home, it's the same shade of blue.

"Morning smithy! I sautéed some fruits, want some?"

"Sure, thanks champion."

"No problem."

We're definitely somewhere different than we were last night. Huh, the trees look like home too. So does that patch of mushrooms. And that portal disguised as a tree trunk.

.....We're too tired for this shit. Hey, at least we can go see Zelda. We're in the Minish Woods, so it won't take too long to get to Castle Town.

We get up and gratefully take the plate that the cook offers. It seems he and the traveler awakened early, exchanging banter as food was cooked. It's good that those two are opening up a bit more, especially since we don't know how long this stupid time travel adventure is going to last.

Speaking of, how is the time passing in our worlds? Has it been a week? Months? Has time passed at all? Is it still after our adventures? Or have we been taken back before them? Why does it matter? Because, if it's during our first adventure, we can't exactly ask stone Zelda statue what's happening to us, now can we?

We also have a whole ton of work at the forge. That can wait. Just eat the food and come up with a plan.

We do exactly that. Okay, eat a fruit, then think. We're not telling them about the Minish or Four Sword unless absolutely necessary. What if the Minish hold answers, though? We can't really split and then shrink right in front of their eyes. Lets just go to Castle Town for now, we can deal with the Minish if we need to. Okay, so Zeffa can only really take one person, huh? We'll need to walk. 

There's also the monster sightings in the woods to worry about. We've never fought in this group before. We don't know strengths, weaknesses, combat styles, how everyone is with teamwork. Well, we know about the Chosen Hero's asthma. That's one thing to look out for. Maybe we should just ask about this when they're all awake. Good idea. 

That's really all there is, right? Okay, finish breakfast, organize our bag, wait for everyone else to get up, talk about combat, head towards Castle Town. 

By the time we've finished our food, the captain, old man, and sailor are up. The Chosen Hero has taken to cuddling the sailor a lot, and as his live teddy bear removed himself from the death grip, he mumbled and rolled over to latch onto his bag. The ranch hand and veteran awaken not long after, claiming plates and eating quickly. Old man gently shakes the Skyloftian awake. He's not happy about being woken up, mumbling something about potatoes as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. By this point, we're halfway done organizing our bag.

"Okay, now that everyone's up, we should have a talk over breakfast. As you may have noticed, the scenery changed overnight. We've found ourselves in the Minish Woods of my time, not far from Castle Town. Zelda should be there, we could probably make the trip today. However, there's one topic of concern."

"What might that be?"

"Combat. There's been monster sightings here recently. Nothing too tough, but if we run into something bigger than expected, we should discuss our fighting styles and abilities so we're all on the same page." 

It's silent for a moment as everyone thinks. No talking about the Four Sword, right? Right. 

The sailor is the first to speak up. 

"I'm good with stealth and sword fighting. I'm not a master with bow and arrows, but I can use em just fine. General set of items, grappling hook, deku leaf lets me glide, one of my most notable items slash abilities is the Wind Waker. I can do quite a variety of things, like control the direction of the wind and control certain monsters, statues, and people, I can turn night to day, but it takes a bit of time seeing as it works like a conductor's baton."

"And his techniques can get quite risky," adds the captain as he stares down the pirate.

"Oh come on, it works!"

"Yeah, except for when it doesn't. You are skilled, I don't doubt your abilities, sailor. Just try not getting hurt while doing your parry. Alright, for me, I'm mostly skilled with being able to take down large numbers quickly. Some of my items only work when I'm solo on the battlefield, seeing as they have such a wide range, but I can use bows, bombs, boomerangs, all the regular shit. I'll still do well fighting close to allies, I just have to limit myself."

"I have skills with both the bow and sword. I also have a full arsenal of items. Too many. Basically any situation at all, and I have an item for that," the veteran explains. "Pegasus boots help me with speed, I usually have an assortment of magical rings that might do some weird shit, so don't be surprised if there's sudden magic from the corner of your eyes."

"Speaking of magic, I, uh, d-do that," the traveler says nervously. "Not- not all the time, or I'll end up exhausted, but I can do spells that don't require items or rings. I have a shield spell, healing spell, thunder spell, a few others. I have a set of items as well, such as bombs, bow and arrow, stuff like that. I- well, I was never really formally trained with a sword, so I rely on- I rely on street smarts a lot. My sword also shoots beams when I'm not injured."

"That's really cool, traveler. I guess for me..... I'm a bit of a wild card. Skilled with a sword, bow, spear, have a few magic abilities, and I tend to have a ton of tricks up my sleeve. I can parry attacks with my shield..... ummm, I can make potions?" Wonder what the champion means by magical abilities.

"You're leavin' out the explosions."

"Yeah! I do a lot of that- guess I can't with so many people around though. Hm... what about you, ranch hand?"

"Well, I rely on items rather than magic. I've got a boomerang, clawshot, slingshot, bow, few other things. I'm skilled with sword fighting, have a few...... hidden skills. I can actually do some good things fighting on horseback, but Epona ain't here, and I don't wanna risk getting separated from her anyways."

"Hm, my horse's name is Epona as well. Well, I usually use my biggoron sword. It doesn't allow for a shield to be held at the same time, which is why I have the armor to compensate for my blind spots. I have a good amount of items, as well as masks that can do a variety of different things. I have three magic spells at my disposal, though none of them would do us much good right now."

"I was trained in the Knight's Academy, so I'm pretty good with a sword. I can charge a skyward strike, which can do some good damage. I've got my bow, whip, gust bellows, clawshots, mogma mitts, and scattershot. We won't have to worry about lightning enemies in these woods, will we?" 

"As far as I know, no. Alright, my skill set varies. I can do sword fighting, I learned quite a few techniques from the tiger scrolls. I can use a bow, I've got a big ass hammer, I've got fire and ice rods. Pegasus boots, mirror shield, bombs and boomerang. I've also got a gust jar and mole mitts."

"Okay. Now that we all know a basic rundown of each others skills, we should get ready to head towards Castle Town. Smithy, mind leading the way?" 

"Sure thing, old man." 

As we finish up packing, we find it's not going to be a good day.

Okay, arrows in this pocket, books in this corner-

(Actually, wouldn't it make more sense for the books to be in that corner?)

{Well no, because-}

|Guys, we're split.|

[The hell? Why?!]

{You know there isn't always an apparent reason, Blue.}

(Aw, I was hoping we could be whole when we reunited with Zelda.)

|We just need to hope she doesn't mention anything about the Four Sword. Who's in control?|

{I am.}

[Don't you dare make us sound like a nerd while you're in control.]

(Blue, don't be mean.)

|Is our bag ready?|

{Yes, we're just waiting on a few others.}

|Alright, lets take the quickest route back. I know we wanna say hi to the Minish, but we can't while the others are around.|

(Awww.)

"Is everyone ready?" Affirmations come scattered throughout the camp.

{Alright, lets hope that we don't run into any monsters on the way.}

Of course, we can't be that lucky. On our way, we mostly just need to take out some chu chus. Right before we emerge from the woods though, we're stopped by four moblins.

[The hell?! Why are they in the Minish Woods?!]

{No matter.}

"Bow moblins. Block or dodge, then attack by whatever means."

(We don't have our shield though, it's undergoing repairs at home!)

|We'll just have to dodge.|

We watch as the monsters take aim, and Vio knocks away the incoming arrow with our sword.

|Or we could do that.| 

[Fucking sweet.]

(Language, Blue.)

Vio takes out a bow and shoots with record speed.

(Nice!)

{It's not over yet.}

He shoots twice more at the same moblin, yet it refuses to fall. At this point, everyone else is engaging, the traveler and cook hanging back and shooting while the captain, sailor, and old man tag team. The ranch hand takes one on individually, as the veteran helps the Chosen Hero.

(All of them should be dead by now. They're taking way more hits than usual.)

[Somethings wrong here.]

|Wait... what's with their blood?|

"Their blood is black!" Vio shouts. "They're also much stronger than usual!"

"Watch out!" the traveler chimes. "That one has a sword!"

He nocks an arrow, and feels a wave of dizziness overtake him.

[Vio, I think we're switching. I can head in and take it out with the sword.]

{Don't get reckless.}

There is a moment of lightheaded ness, then the sensation of falling. Vio feels their bow being put away, though he has no control.

Blue draws the Four Sword and rushes in. He swings their sword, making a deep cut in the moblin's stomach. The black blood clings to the blade, dripping off as Blue dodges swinging arms that could surely crush them if he wasn't careful. He wouldn't let them get hit. He'd be damned if any of his brothers were hurt because of him.

(Blue, aim for the head!)

|Or the heart.|

[Vital point, got it.]

As much as Blue hated to admit it, they were too short to have much luck going for the head. Or maybe...

{It could work.}

|It's risky though...|

(Please be careful, Blue.)

He waits for the moblin to swing again. Its fists meet the ground, and Blue hops onto it's arm, jumps upward, and strikes down into the head.

|Ohhhhhh my goddesses that was so reckless! Blue, are you okay? Is anything broken? Bruised? Any scrapes or cuts? Are-|

{Green, he's fine.}

[You doubt me or something?]

|Of course not! I just...|

(He's in mom mode.)

|Red!|

[He's right, you do act like our mom.]

{Stop picking on him, even if it is true. Is everyone else faring okay?}

Looking around, Blue finds all of the other moblins taken care of, save for the one the ranch hand is fighting. It raises it's sword, and the resident country boy retaliates by thrusting his shield into the moblin, stunning it. He then jumps forward, landing a blow on its head, then flips behind the moblin and slashes it's back.

[That is one of the coolest things I have ever seen and I want to do it.]

{No, you give Green enough heart attacks as it is.}

[If Green is mom, then you're the dad with all of the reigning us in you try to do.]

{Then you're the toddler.}

[Excuse me?!]

"Is everyone alright?" the ranch hand asks, completely unaware that he'd just blown everyone away with that move.

"That was so cool! Can you show me how you did that?"

"Uhhh..."

"Leave him be, sailor. That was pretty cool though."

"Where did you learn how to do that?"

The old mans question seems harmless, but the country boy's face turns pale.

"Uh, it was a, um..... distant relative."

(He sure seems nervous.)

{Let's leave him be. We're keeping secrets as well.}

"Those were a lot stronger than usual," Blue says, mimicking Green's tone of voice and attitude. "They shouldn't even be in the Minish Woods."

"Perhaps it has something to do with our meeting?"

It's silent for a short while, everyone thinking on the captain's comment.

"Whatever it is, we should get going. We're not too far from Castle Town now."

They continue their short trek, the sailor quick to start up another conversation. Blue stays out of it for the most part, silently leading the group while occasionally adding input on this or that. A loud gasp from the sailor catches their attention.

|Are we being attacked again?|

Luckily, that isn't the case.

"So captain, you think the crazy strong monsters and our involuntary time travel might be..... _linked_?"

".....Was that...........was that a pun?"

The sailor only giggles.

[.....I'm going to commit a murder.]

(What's the matter? Did that pun get you... _feeling blue_?)

[RED I WILL CUT YOU!!!]

{No need to get so _vio_ lent.}

[IF YOU DON'T STOP YOUR DAMNED DAD JOKES, I WILL TEAR OUT YOUR TEETH AND COOK THEM IN A SOUP!]

|At what point does a pun become a dad joke though? Personally, I think it's when the joke becomes...|

[Green...]

|Apparent.|

[GREEN!!!]

All three of his brothers are laughing hysterically, even Vio. He takes back what he said earlier. They will most definitely be hurt because of him.

It doesn't matter that he's hiding a smirk behind his hands.

An hour later, Green shows them to the throne room of Hyrule Castle.

“Gr- Link? Where have you been?! Your grandfather and I have been worried sick!”

|Thank the goddesses, she caught on.|

(I wonder how she’s able to tell who is who just by looking at us.)

“Sorry Zelda, I didn’t mean to leave without telling you. I got caught up in a bit of... well, we don’t know what the heck is going on. We’ve come to the conclusion it’s time travel.”

“Time travel? What did you get yourself into this time, Link?”

“As I said, no idea. We’ve been constantly getting thrown through portals throughout the week. Don’t know the source, but I’m pretty sure it’s dark magic.”

“Do you think Vaati or Ganon are involved?”

“They can’t be, Ganon is sealed away, and Vaati is dead.”

{.....}

(You okay, Vi?)

{I’m fine.}

“Hm... well, why don’t you introduce me to your group? Then we can discuss where this magic is coming from.”

(Oh boy.)

[Here we go.]

“Well, you see, it’s actually quite complicated... you know about the legends of the Chosen Hero of Skyloft?”

“Yes?”

“And you know that one time you jokingly drew a few comparisons between he and I and said something about reincarnation?”

“What are you getting at, Link?”

“Well, you weren’t too far off. Everyone in this room, save for you, is named Link. All of them have also saved the world at one point or another. We’ve come to the conclusion that we all have the Hero’s Spirit.”

“..........So, you’re not quite the same person, but you share a spirit?”

“Yep. Different people, different lives.”

“I hope you realize how many questions I’m going to ask. Would you like to stay in the castle for the night? Both the inn and your house have too little space.”

“Yeah, thanks Zel.”

“It’s no problem at all, you know nobody uses those guest rooms.”

And so, they spent the rest of their day at the castle. Zelda sat them all down with some tea and asked them millions of questions. After they had gotten her to relent a little, the old man and the cook went to the Castle Town Market to gather supplies. The cook had wanted more cooking ingredients. The old man was there to make sure he didn’t get lost. Zelda gave a few locations where the monsters had been rising, in hopes that they would find some sort of connection between the black blood and their meeting. After the day was over, and everyone had been given a room, Green sighed in relief.

“We’re so lucky she realized we wanted to keep this a secret.”

(Why can’t we tell them, anyways?)

{We don’t know them that well yet.}

[Besides, what if they think we’re weird?]

(Everyone’s weird, Blue! I’m sure they would understand. They’ve probably seen weirder on their adventures.)

Blue only grunts in response.

“Let’s just wait, alright Red? It’s a big decision, big enough to where I think we should wait until we’re all comfortable with it.”

(Okay.)

{We should try to sleep now. It always takes a bit while we’re split like this, so we should try now in order to hopefully get a good night’s rest.}

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Green dresses in night clothes, and slips into the soft bed.

(I always forget how awesome the beds are here.)

[They are pretty great.]

“...Goodnight, guys.”

{Goodnight.}

[Night, morons.]

(Goodnight, sleep tight!)

Sleep proved to be difficult. Red always says the strangest stuff at night, Vio either has a huge theory on his mind or grieves, Blue just straight up can’t seem to fall asleep, and poor Green often falls victim to nightmares. 

(.........)

[.........]

|.........|

{.........}

(Vio? Earlier today, you got really sad, and you said you were fine, but I know you weren’t. I think you still aren’t. You know we’re here for you, right?)

{.........It’s just one of those days, Red.}

(I see..... can I do anything to help?)

{Th.......thanks, but I’ll be okay. I promise to tell you if I need something, okay?}

(Okay...)

They all sit in silence for a while longer. 

{.....I wish you all could have gotten to know him. The real him, not the one influenced by Vaati and Ganon. I think you guys would have liked him.}

|I wish we could’ve met him too.|

(Me too.)

[Yeah.]

{.........We’re not going to be able to sleep, are we?}

|Doesn’t seem like it.|

{I’m sorry.}

[Don’t you dare apologize for something that isn’t your fault. Green, should we take a walk?]

|Clear our mind?|

(Good thinking, Blue. And he’s right, Vi. None of it is your fault.)

{...}

(Vi?)

{Thank you all.}

|Of course, you’re our brother. Now, what about that walk?|

Green gets up and slips on their headband and shoes. After silently slipping out the door, he heads down the hall, letting his feet carry him wherever.

(Remember being little and running through this exact same hall? We took some sweets from the kitchen with Zelda, and we were trying to escape from the angry cooks.)

{Haha...}

[The scolding was worth it.]

|Definitely.|

{Wait, do you hear that?}

Green stops and listens. It’s quiet for a moment, but then he hears what Vio was talking about.

(Is... is someone crying?)

[It’s coming from the balcony.]

As he walks towards the door, the suppressed sobs grow louder. Peeking in the doorway, he is met with blond hair and a blue tunic.

“Sailor?”

The words that came out of their mouth were Red’s, not Green’s. The boy swiftly spins around and meets their eyes, hand flying to his back, reaching for a sword that he must have left in his room.

“O-oh, it’s you. Sorry.” He wipes his eyes as he speaks, stiffening up.

“There’s no need to apologize. What’re you doing up so late?”

“.........Nightmares.”

“Ah, I see. I get those sometimes too.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I guess it’s a part of being a hero. Wanna talk about it?”

“.....A little.”

“Well then, I’m all ears.” Red steps forward and leans on the railing of the balcony.

The sailor is quiet for a few moments, making Red wonder if he should back off and let the sailor be.

“It was on my birthday.”

[Huh?]

{Perhaps he’s describing the dream?}

|Or a memory?|

“I was twelve. Old enough to wear the traditional clothes of the hero, the one that all the boys wore on their twelfth birthday. It’s a tradition back home, it signifies coming of age. I saw someone being carried by a giant bird. She was dropped into the forest, so I went to help her. When I headed back down to the village, the bird mistook Aryll, my little sister, for the girl it had dropped. It swooped in and carried her away... I thought I’d never see her again...”

He starts sniffling again.

“I still have nightmares about it... about seeing her get carried away... about finding her locked up, but instead of her rushing into my arms when we opened the cage... she... she...”

The sailor is full on sobbing now. Red opens his arms, and the youngest latches onto him.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It was just a dream. It’ll be fine, everything’s okay.”

“It seemed so real... I don’t want her to be gone!”

“Shhh, it’s okay. She’s alive, you saved her. It was just a dream. You’re both gonna be okay.”

They’ve sunken to the ground now. Red hums a soft tune, letting the sailor hide his face in the crook of his neck. They sit there for a while, Red humming and reassuring him, as the sailor slowly but surely calms down.

|Poor kid... the goddesses are crueler than we thought.|

[We’re murdering the bird now, right?]

{Bold of you to assume the kid hasn’t already. Remember that story he was telling us the night we met Wolfie? His epic battle with the evil giant bird?}

[There has to be something else that’s wronged him. We’re going to track it down, and kill it.]

|Are we now?|

[This kid is too fucking good for the world!]

(Awww, Blue adopted him.)

[What?! No!]

“Hey, smithy?”

“Yeah little pirate?”

“Thanks.”

“It’s no problem. I get nightmares like that a lot. I just have sleeping problems in general, so if you wanna talk, or just need company, or a distraction, I can help.”

“You don’t have to!”

“I know, I want to.”

“......Are you sure?”

“Nah, I’m Link. But yes, I’m positive about wanting to help you.”

[Motherfucker, Red.]

|Profanity!|

The sailor giggles, then gazes at the view of Hyrule from the balcony.

“Again, thank you.”

Red nods and adjusts his legs to be crossed, looking upon his home. They sit there together, watching as the sun rises, orange and yellow and pink, shining brightly, and leaving a calm smile on our face.


	5. Hyrule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule’s Hyrule is out to kill the boys.

It has not been shaping out to be a good day.

First, we get attacked by another group of crazy strong moblins. After that, we arrive at the entrance of the village we need to be in, and we're teleported to a different world. My world. In which we got ambushed multiple times. Hey, at least fairies seem to naturally flock to the old man and I.

At least we found a clearing to camp in. The beds from the castle yesterday were great, don't get me wrong, but they were way too soft. I guess I'm just used to the hard ground of the forest.

"Traveler, what's with the monsters? There are so many!"

"Yeah, is it these specific woods?"

Well, you see, they want to drain me of my blood and perform some weird ritual so they can revive their lord and savior Ganon.

"Uh, they're not just in these woods. They're kind of everywhere. Makes traveling quite hard, you know?" I try to joke. The sailor and veteran gape at me in disbelief, as I fiddle with the bottom of my tunic.

"Why the hell are there so many?"

"U-um, I'm really not sure about their numbers, I guess Ganon just had a lot of followers, heh."

"You've fought Ganon?!" The veteran asks this loud enough that everyone else hears.

"Well, yeah, didn't you?"

"I did, which is why I don't understand why you had to."

"Hold on, by Ganon, do you mean Ganondorf?" the sailor questions.

"Um... n-no, he was just called Ganon in my time..."

"That's because his name is Ganondorf while he's in his Gerudo form, and he's called Ganon in his beast form," the old man says.

The ranch hand is next to speak up.

"So, have we all faced him at one point or another?"

"Looks like it, though, I never saw him as a Gerudo," the cook says with confusion lacing his voice. "I remember a friend of mine told me he once adopted the form of a Gerudo. However, I don't know if she meant in our time, or in ancient Gerudo legend."

"Yeah, I've faced him," the captain says with a far off look in his eyes.

"Faced him, beat him, sealed him away with a magic sword," the smithy confirms.

"Who's Ganon?"

.....Did.......... did he just- what?!

"Y'know, evil person slash magic pig thing. Real pain in the ass. That guy," the veteran explains. He says 'ass' a lot, as well as a few other words that I don't know the definition of. Maybe I should ask him later. Or the sailor. The sailor says them too.

"It's very possible he may not have fought him at all," the blacksmith says. "My first adventure, I only had to worry about Vaati, and before my second adventure, I'd never heard of Ganon before. Not even from the stories told about you."

"Yeah, I've never heard of him. Maybe-" He cuts himself off, and a brief flash of terror crosses his face before he hides it. 

"I-I think it's because..... well, I don't want to go into it, but I've never really fought the guy."

"Let me tell you about it then!"

The sailor goes into a tale of his battle with Ganondorf as the champion starts dinner.

"Before I fought him, I had to fight three other versions of him. One was a puppet, one was a spider, and one was a caterpillar. They weren't too bad, except for the damn caterpillar, which I absolutely fucking hated, the timing was stupid hard to get right. Anyways, after I took those down, I climbed the tower to the very top, where I found Tetra, who he was holding captive cause she had the triforce of wisdom, she was also kind of Zelda? It's fucking weird. So then he gives me a little monologue-"

What's a monologue?

"And all of a sudden, he's like, 'Yoink!' and he takes my damn triforce piece, throws my sword out of reach, leaves me defenseless on the ground, and he's finally able to combine all three pieces."

Well shoot.

"But before he can make his wish, the last king of Hyrule steps up and touches it before Ganondorf can! He wished for hope, for a future, and then Hyrule finally starts to flood. Ganondorf turns around after Tetra gives me the master sword back, and that's when the fight began. Tetra had my light arrows, so she stunned him with those, and afterwards I would rush in and get in a few good hits before he got back up again. He caught on though, and he fucking knocked Tetra out!" He uses wide motions with his arms to really sell the story.

"I was on my own for a while. He blocked everything I tried, so I waited for him to attack before performing a roll back slice. I managed to dodge nearly everything he threw at me, he only got in one good hit. Cut my arm, I still have the scar."

He rolls down his sleeve to show what must have been a deep slice. He still smiles though, and continues with his story. I can see worry in the captain's eyes, and the old man frowning.

"After defending the both of us for a bit, Tetra woke up. We couldn't get a single damn hit in though! So, Tetra told me to aim my shield at Ganondorf, and she shot an arrow at my shield. Since he wasn't expecting it, it hit him straight on, stunning him and allowing me to slash him with the master sword! Once again, we repeated that pattern. When I was heading in for an attack, he surprised me by pulling one of his own! Instinctively, I went to roll behind him and slice upwards, jumping into the air, and-"

He stops suddenly, a frown flashing on his face. As soon as it came, it left, and he continues with less excitement.

"And... I struck downwards, the sword plunging straight into his head."

"Holy shit," the veteran mutters next to me. I don't know what holy shit means, but it feels absolutely right for this moment. 

"After his last words, his body turned completely into stone. It was actually really freaky, still can't unsee it. Heh....... after that, Tetra and I talked with the king for a bit, before being sent back up to the surface, leaving both Hyrule and Ganondorf to drown in the ocean."

.......Well that was dark. And he was only twelve.

"So traveler, where are we headed?" he asks, smiling like nothing happened. It's clear he doesn't want to talk about what he just told us.

"U-um....... well, if we're searching for the overpowered monsters, we're going to have a hard time, seeing as monsters are everywhere here. Our best bet would be my Zeldas, but they both live in the North Palace right now, and we're not very close. We're near the Town of Saria. If we keep following the path, we'll eventually make it to the castle, but we'll be targeted by monsters a lot, especially since they're out for my blood."

"We should get an early start, then," the old man says. "Whoever is on third watch should wake everyone at sunrise."

"Traveler, Did you say 'Zeldas'?"

"Y-yeah. There are two of them. The queen and the princess. It's a bit complicated."

The cook starts passing bowls of food around. As he gets thank yous from everyone, he asks me about them further. 

"How is it complicated? It's not just a family name?"

"Princess Zelda I had been cursed into a deep sleep by her brother after she refused to tell him where the triforce of courage was, and she had been like that for quite a while. When I managed to wake her up, she hadn't really aged from the day she fell asleep, so she's kind of a few hundred and something years old while still looking younger than Zelda. She stayed princess while Queen Zelda still rules the land. It got kind of confusing, so we call the princess Aurora, and the queen Dawn." The cook falls into silence. He seems uncomfortable.

"Huh... damn triforce just keeps causing disasters, doesn't it? And for the record, it is a family name. It's a tradition that all females of the royal bloodline are named Zelda," our seasoned veteran says.

Apparently this was the cue for everyone talking about their Zeldas. Specifically the Chosen Hero, who we've started calling Sky, so he doesn't have to keep going by his title.

"My Zelda is my childhood friend. As well as my... well, my girlfriend." His face get flushed, and he looks down at his boots as he fails to fight a smile.

"Ooo, you like herrrrrrrrr!"

How mature, sailor.

"You're with Zelda?"

"Yeah, I am."

The champion nods and pokes at his food.

"She's a nice person. I'm... we're not together, but we're good friends."

"Do you like her too?"

He laughs.

"No, sailor. At least, not like that. I don't..." He tenses up. 

"I don't... yeah, it's just platonic." 

Platonic? There are so many words I need to ask about. Maybe if I knew how to write, I could write the words down so Zelda could tell me. I wonder if not being able to read or write is going to be a problem? At least I can talk. It would have been bad if I couldn’t. Though, the ranch hand says things weird. He lived in a village, right? So it's probably not a cave thing. Should I tell everyone about not being able to read or write? It might be embarrassing though... 

And the Hero of Legend is here! I can't embarrass myself in front of him! Aurora told me the legends about him, after I saved her. I spend a lot of time with her. I wonder if she has stories about anyone else here. I've only heard about the veteran and the Fallen Hero. Maybe-

"Traveler!"

"Gah! Uh, y-yeah?"

The blacksmith looks at me from across the campfire.

"We've been calling you for a while, are you alright?"

"Oh- I-I'm fine, just... lost in thought." Is that how the saying goes?

"If you say so..." the veteran glances at me with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"We were asking if you're with anyone. Or have a crush," the sailor asks as he puts his head in his hands.

"W-what's a crush?"

Everyone except the old man stares at me in shock (Though, the old man is still looking at me). I just rub the back of my neck, and hope their eyes find someplace else to look.

"A crush is- well, it's when you like like someone. Someone you wanna do couple stuff with," the ranch hand tries explaining.

"Couple stuff?"

"L-like being super lovey and holding hands and all of that."

Oh. Oh. That.

"Oh nononono! I don't get those feelings!"

Shoot. Oh shoot. Ohhhhh no. Did I just give away one of the biggest things that make me... weird? Wrong? Broken? I'm such an idiot! Now they're gonna toss me aside. Say I'm not a worthy hero. Say I'm not normal.

Weird. Wrong. Broken.

Remember how that woman asked you if you had anyone to love like that? Remember how you answered and she told you that you were weird? Wrong? Broken?

"Normal Hylians are supposed to feel love! You call yourself a hero? How can you be a hero if you're-"

Weird. Wrong. Broken.

Why are you like this?

Weird.

Wrong.

Brok-

"Ah, aromantic? That's great, traveler."

"Oh, I didn't know there was a word for that! Cool! Sorry if the question made you uncomfortable."

Wait- what? They're- they don't-

"H-huh? Wait, you guys don't think I'm... weird? Wrong?

"Broken?"

".....Traveler, you're not any of that. Now, I want you to give me the address of whoever told you those things, so I can steal their teeth and burn down their house."

What?

"Veteran, you're not allowed to steal the teeth, though I'm happy to help with the arson."

"Oh, come on captain! No teeth, harder time being an asshole!"

"No, being homeless is one thing, but being homeless with no teeth will make people pity them and donate to their cause."

"I see your point, but I still want those teeth."

"Boys." The old man speaks in a stern tone.

"I'm disappointed in you. Of course we're going to steal the teeth. But are you two really stopping at that? We can do better."

They continue to argue like this, everyone else joining in with murderous glints in their eyes. Eventually, the smithy raises his voice to be heard over everyone.

"Okay, okay, that's enough! We don't even have the address, let alone the traveler's opinion on what we should do."

All heads are turned towards me once again.

"You guys... really don't think she was right? You're not calling me..."

All the murder in their eyes disappear, softening as I ask them the question with confusion clear in my voice.

"Of course she was wrong!" the sailor pipes up.

"She was wrong alright, wrong as anyone could possibly be," the ranch hand says in his strange way of speaking.

Then the veteran, the Hero of Legend speaks.

"Listen, traveler, I have known you for a very short amount of time, almost as short as the smithy-"

"Hey!"

"-and you are not any of those things. Not getting crushes doesn't make you weird. It doesn't make you wrong. It doesn't make you broken. Understand?"

And when I hear those words, I get a feeling I've only ever experienced with Dawn and Aurora. When I sneak them out of the castle and we go off on a small adventure, when they teach me big words or phrases, when one of us comforts the other after a nightmare.

They told me the feeling is of family.

".....Yeah. Thank you guys."

"Good. Now, the address?"

"That's like... where a person lives, right? I don't know her house number, but she lives far from where we want to be. We won't be able to make it." Not like I'd let them, anyways.

Groans of disappointment come from all around the campfire. I giggle, and try my best to deny that I'm getting attached.

The sun peeks over the horizon, lighting the world up ever so slightly as the first signs of dawn break the darkness in the sky.

"ALRIGHT YOU BASTARDS, UP AND AT 'EM! TIME TO BE AWAKE AND WALK UNTIL WE DIE OF EXHAUSTION!"

"Vet, you should try waking them up nicer."

Yeah, we shouldn't have given him third watch. At least Sky is awake enough to try scolding him. Maybe we shouldn't have given him third watch either, there are bags under his eyes.

I groan as I sit up.

"He's right, we really do need to be awake. One moment of traveling while you're out of it could mean death."

Everyone rises sleepily, packing up their stuff and putting on armor. The champion, being the first to have everything put up, starts handing out apples.

"Thanks, cook. Oh, one more thing before we start walking. If you see a source of water? Don't drink from it. It's either poisonous, or it has monsters in it."

"Hylia, your world is out to get us, isn't it traveler?"

"Heh, I guess so."

The old man and ranch hand seem to be awake already. The sailor yawns and leans onto the captain's side, while smithy packs his bedroll with the apple in his mouth.

Of course, it's at this moment that monsters decide to attack. Orange moblins and lizalfos jump out of the bushes, making everyone snap into attention and draw their swords. There are so many! Why are the lizalfos here?! They usually only appear in southeast Hyrule!

"Shit!"

"Listen!" I cry as I block a spear attack from a moblin. "The moblins will keep a distance, but the lizalfos will come in close! These are usually the easiest to take out, but if they have black blood, we need to be careful! I have a plan, but it may not work, and I need time!"

I roll out of the way of a lizalfo, then swipe my sword. Of course, black blood.

"One more thing! Don't let them spill your blood!"

At the mention of blood, the monsters start their usual speech about how they're gonna revive their master or whatever, as I start casting Spell.

I'm interrupted by a scream of pain, coming from the veteran. A spear has pierced right through his shoulder.

"I'll look after him, show those shitheads a bad time!" the sailor shouts.

There's no time to waste now. I cast Spell, effectively turning all of the enemies into bots. Rushing in, I take out as many as I can, panic rising in my chest. From the corner of my eye, I can see the old man making slack after slash, his slow but heavy attacks taking down the bots quickly. After killing what must have been a dozen enemies, I rush to the veteran's side.

It isn't good. The spear went clean through, and I doubt the monsters keep their weapons clean. He's risking infection if he doesn't bleed out first. My only choice is to use Life.

"Damn it... I'm dead, aren't I?"

"No! You're not! There's still another option."

"I'm going to bleed out or die of infection, traveler. You know that."

"No, I don't. I need to pull out the spear, sailor, if you can spare a fairy, I could use the extra help. You're not dying today."

By now, everyone else has finished off the rest of the enemies, and are gathered in a circle around us. The veteran is resting in the sailor's lap. His breathing is uneven and strained, and his eyes are barely open. 

"Wait, if we pull the spear out he'll die for sure!"

"I'm telling you captain, he'll be fine. I have to be quick, though, so I need someone to pull out the spear."

"I- fucking- agh, alright, I'll do it. You have a better plan than just a fairy and red potion, right?"

"Of course I do. Now, try to hold still vet. It's gonna be alright."

He rolls his eyes at me. The sailor gets a bottle out, a fairy ready to burst out and help at any moment. The captain carefully breaks off the head of the spear, and takes his position, ready to pull. I raise my hands, ready to cast Life as soon as the spear is gone.

"Now!"

The spear is out, and the veteran is screaming. I cast Life, and a fairy helps the healing go by quicker. You won't die. Not today. Not ever, while you're a part of this group. While you're still young. While you still have a life left to live.

The wound is nearly closed, and I feel myself getting drained. 

Keep going. He's not dying today. You promised, Link.

................There. It's healed.

"Whew..... you're... okay..." I say in between deep breaths.

"How the fuck? You know what, I'm not gonna question it. Thanks, traveler."

"No problem." As I try standing up, I stumble.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, ranch hand. Just... drained."

"That was so fucking cool! Was that the magic you were talking about? You just picked him up from death's doorstep and beat death's ass into the ground!"

"Uh... yeah, it was magic, but I didn't pick him up from any doorsteps. I healed his injury."

"And from the looks of it, you used up all your energy." The veteran stands up with no problem. Good. Oh... he looks unhappy. Not good.

"Better that I'm drained than you being dead. And I'll be fine, we should get going now."

"You're not traveling this exhausted!"

"I can travel perfectly fine. See?" I try and fail to walk without stumbling. The veteran catches me just before I can fall. The edges of my vision are going black, and I breathe heavily.

"That's not perfectly fine. If you're so insistent on walking, you're at least going to lean on me."

"You were just impaled!"

"And yet I'm the one who can walk. Now lean on me."

I look at him in what I hope is an offended way. He stares back just as intensely, making my heart skip a beat from his scary glare.

"F-fine..."

"Are you sure, vet? You were literally just about to die!"

"You suddenly care about me, captain? Look, I was dying, now I'm not. He needs support while he's walking, so I'm going to give it to him. Now come on, we've wasted enough time here."

He takes my arm, scaring me slightly, and slings it over his shoulders.

“Wait!” The word makes my head pound, and now I’m glad that I’m being held up by someone.

“I already told you, we’re walking like this wether you like it or not.”

“No, not that. Did any blood spill on the ground?”

“Nope, it all got on my pants,” the sailor responds. He’s right, his lap is completely red and the dirt where the veteran was bleeding out is dry.

“Why do you ask?”

“I told you guys, the monsters are out for my blood. I don’t know if they’ll take yours too, but I don’t wanna risk it. I really don’t wanna deal with Ganon being revived right now.” I get more and more tired with each word. Maybe I should have healed him part way and then used red potion...

It’s quiet for a bit, until everyone shouts at the same time.

“What?!”

Too loud. The darkness creeps back into my vision, until I feel myself falling and I can no longer see.


	6. Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legend chats with Hyrule and Wild, as he tries not to get attached to them.

Link has six states of existence: Fuck this, fuck you, fuck me, fuck it, fuck that, and fuck yes.

He's currently experiencing four of them at once.

After the traveler passed out, the ranch hand had picked him up so they could continue walking. Rather, so they could start walking in the first place, since the damned monsters stopped them in the middle of packing camp up.

'Fuck this' was his current feeling about being attacked by monsters, being impaled, and having the traveler pass out. 'Fuck you' was reserved for the monsters alone. He was feeling the 'Fuck me' and 'Fuck this' states because despite all of his best efforts, he's getting attached to these losers. He worries about the traveler, he feels the need to protect the sailor, fuck, he's fond of the captain and the stupid way they tease each other.

Well, jokes on them, he's had people leave him before. He refuses to get any closer to the lot of them.

The traveler had awoken halfway through their walk, just in time to point them in the right direction when they reached a fork in the road.

"We'll reach the Town of Rauru by nightfall, then tomorrow we can get to the Northern Palace with enough time to talk with Dawn and Aurora."

True to his word, they got there at sunset with surprisingly few attacks. They booked an inn, the vet's haggling skills from Ravio getting them rather cheap rooms, and now he sits outside, the stars making up for the lack of a moon.

He sits there, thinking. Why was the traveler willing to give all of his energy to heal Link? Was it because of the legends about him in this time? Or did the traveler feel obligated to help after the veteran's encouraging words last night? Besides that, he's been pretty much nothing but rude to everyone. Why would any of them care? Is it a Hero's Spirit thing?

And then there's the matter of Sky.

He's a nice guy, a nice guy who wields the sword that ruined his life. A nice guy who's dating the first Zelda, and eventually becomes the first king. A nice guy, who starts the royal bloodline.

A bloodline that Link is a part of.

Sure, he's a bastard prince or whatever. Doesn't make him any less related to Sky. And he's not going to tell him about it. It just gives him a reason to get attached, and he refuses to do that. Not after his uncle. Not after Koholint. He's already attached enough to Ravio, he doesn't need anyone else.

And from the looks of it, Sky would get very attached if he knew. As Link said, Sky is a nice guy. So even though the veteran does not care at all how Sky feels whatsoever, he wants to spare him the feeling of losing someone.

(He says that, and yet he cares very much about how Sky feels. He must have inherited his damn mushy ness from him.)

"Vet?"

He heard the traveler open the door and walk over, and yet he still jumps slightly. Link turns to look at him with a glare.

"You should be resting. You overdid yourself today."

"You should be resting too. Even if I healed it, you lost a lot of blood."

"Why are you here?" He spits out harshly, feeling kind of guilty when he sees the traveler jump. Still, he sits next to Link on the creaky porch of the inn, pulling his knees to his chest.

"I couldn't sleep, I usually don't get a lot of rest while I'm out adventuring since the monsters will take any chance they have to kill me if they find me. So, after I saw you leave the room, I- well... I may not be comfortable with new people, but I didn't like being alone either. It- it was... kind of scary, to be honest."

Damn it. He does not have a soft spot he does not have a soft spot he does not have a soft spot.

"I-I can go, if you want me t-"

"No, it's fine. I could use some company."

He does not have a soft spot.

They sit in silence for a while, the veteran losing himself in his thoughts as the traveler looks up at the sky, the stars reflecting in his eyes.

'From the red sky in the day, you wouldn't think it could be this beautiful at night,' Link thinks as he stares at the stars. His own sky turns red occasionally during the day for seemingly no reason, so he doesn't know if it's like this permanently or if they just keep catching it like this.

"Dawn is trying to teach me about con-constellations? Is that how you say it?"

"Yeah, it is."

"It's really intresting, I'm just having a hard time with it. I think it's cause I can't focus."

"Interesting, traveler. Not intresting. And what do you mean, you can't focus?"

"Well, I try my best to listen, but I get distracted. Dawn will be talking, and I'll start thinking about something she said, and all of a sudden I'll realize that I spaced out, and I've missed a whole bunch of her explanation. I feel really bad about it."

"You're trying to listen, right?"

"Yeah."

"And this happens no matter how hard you try?"

"Y-yeah..."

"It might be something mental. Some people have a harder time with focusing than others, and that's alright. There's nothing wrong with needing a little extra help sometimes. My b- my friend, Ravio, gets like that too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll be talking to him and see this far off look in his eyes. I'll most likely wanna change something about what I said anyways, sometimes I mess up with my words. I don't mind repeating things to him. And I don't mind if I have to repeat things with you, either."

Damn it, he's being soft.

"You know, you act tough on the outside, but you're actually really nice and understanding."

Oh Farore damn it. Fuck this.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." The traveler yawns after finishing his sentence, exhaustion still clear in him despite resting for half of the day after casting the spells.

"You need sleep, traveler."

"Mhm..... you too."

Link sighs, and stands up.

"Come on then. No time like the present."

His successor rises from his spot, rubbing his eyes.

"No time like the present... Is that a saying?"

There's so much that the kid doesn't seem to know, Link almost wants to laugh. Almost. Why is he so disconnected from the world? It's concerning.

Wait, no it's not. He doesn't care. He doesn't.

"...Yeah, it's a saying. Off to bed now, you're obviously still drained from using your magic."

"Okay. You too?"

Why does he care if Link gets enough rest?

"Me too."

The traveler nods, takes the veteran by the arm, and drags him all the way to the room they share. He pushes him down onto the bed, mutters at him to rest, and falls onto the floor.

"For the love of Nayru, traveler. How much magic did you use?"

No response. Great. Link picks him up, sets him on his bed, and pulls the covers over him.

"You're the one who needs to rest."

He's met with light snoring. There's a peaceful look that he's never seen on the traveler's face before. He's always so nervous.

'You're not getting attached,' he reminds himself, as he crawls into bed and tries to sleep.

Link awakens from dreams of an island and a girl, and prepares herself for a day of dysphoria.

Yeah, she's genderfluid, and she's proud. Is she coming out to these people though? She really has no idea. If they don't accept her, she'll just stop traveling with them. She doesn't need their approval.

.....She doesn't need their damn approval.

'Stop getting attached.'

She gets out of bed, the old frame creaking underneath her. Looking over at where the traveler was sleeping, she finds his bed empty. He must be downstairs. She ignores the doubt creeping into her head.

'What if he left? What if they left? What if they decided they didn't need her anymore and went on without her?'

She gathers her stuff, puts on her boots, hat, and multiple rings, and heads to the lobby.

"Hey veteran! We're only waiting on Sky and the sailor now, the poor kid's probably having a tough time waking him up."

Relief floods her chest, despite every instinct telling her to push everyone away.

"Told you that you needed rest," the traveler says with a grin as she sits down next to him.

"What I need is coffee," she grumbles, internally cringing at her deep voice.

"What's coffee?"

"It's a drink people make by grinding a certain type of bean. It has caffeine in it, which can have different effects on people. For me, it helps me wake up."

"Did you just ask what coffee is?"

Link lets the conversation drift into the background, as she stresses over what to say. Does she wait for the right opportunity? Does she hide it? Does she straight up tell them? Oh wait, she can't straight up tell them. She isn't straight. Ha! Jokes about her sexuality always help with gender dilemas.

"Vet! You alright?"

"Huh? I'm fine, why are you asking?"

"It's time to go," the sailor says, looking much more awake than he was the previous morning.

"You weren't lying about needing coffee," the captain jokes.

The veteran just rolls her eyes and heads out the door of the inn. She doesn't notice one of her teammates watching her as she leaves, eyes full of concern and understanding.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know if he is though..."

"Want me to keep an eye on him?"

"I'll handle it. I think I know what's going on."

'After all,' the Hero of the Wild thinks, 'I see that expression in my reflection nearly every day.'

"Hey, veteran? Can we talk in private?"

"Whatever."

All she can think is, 'He knows, they know, they'll hate me, they'll kick me out, stop caring. Stop being attached.'

The cook leads her to a tree far enough for privacy, but close enough to be heard if they shouted.

"So, vet... I know this is weird, but I need to get this off my chest."

Well, at least this doesn't sound like he's kicking her out. Why come to her for problem solving, though?

"I... do you ever feel..... uncomfortable in your own skin?"

What.

"Like... some days, you look at your reflection, and hear your voice, and it just makes you feel like... I-I don't know, like you're supposed to be something else?"

"Cook, are you saying you want me to call you by different pronouns?"

"Only sometimes. Some days I feel like a girl, some days I feel like a boy, and other days it's both or neither or something else entirely. I cane to you, because you've been... off, this morning. I've seen it with you a couple of times, but today is when I realized that the look in your eyes, that hidden pain? It's the same look I get." 

Link tenses up. He knows. But, is it a bad thing?

"I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. That whatever is going on, you're not the only one."

The champion's words remind her of a late night about a year ago, sitting in the living room and spilling everything to Ravio.

"Link, you're not alone. You don't have to be alone. It's okay to get attached to people, you know. You need to make the most of your short life, and love is just as important as loss while you're trying to live."

".....Thanks, champion. I'm..... still not ready to tell the group."

"That's alright, I'm not ready either. For now, it can be between us. So, what are your pronouns today?"

That question, after weeks of it's absence, is relieving to hear.

"She/her. You?"

"He/him."

The two heroes sit chatting happily, the break full of ranting and connections. The veteran finally relaxes, and the usually quiet cook becomes outspoken. After finally finding someone who understands, her most prevalent thought is, 'Fuck yes.'

"Really, champion, thank you."

"Anytime."

There's a moment of peaceful quiet, before the ranch hand shouts for them.

"Vet, cook, breaks over! Y'all need to come back!"

"Well then, that's our cue. Come on, I bet the traveler's Zeldas are worried about him."

"You say that like they're his parents."

The champion laughs and starts walking off.

"Wrong way, idiot. I swear, the old man needs to stop letting you and the traveler explore together. You two are bound to get lost some day."

"Come on, we'll be fine!"

Link leads the way back to the group, getting lost in thought once more.

"It's okay to get attached to people, you know. You need to make the most of your short life, and love is just as important as loss while you're trying to live."

Maybe she can get a little attached.

Besides, they may be from different times, but at least they're real.


	7. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite map haters get lost, and Twilight is worried.

"Hey, we're gonna go explore."

"Be back soon, and don't go too far."

"You got it, old man."

That was an hour ago. The traveler and the champion were bound to get lost someday, but now we're in a place nobody recognizes. We don't know the area, the monsters, the potential dangers, anything!

They could be hurt, or captured, or dead, or worse! What if- they can't be in a different time period, can they?! What if they're getting tortured as we speak?! What if-

"Hey! Country boy! Quit freaking out, they're capable."

"They may be heroes, but they have their weaknesses, vet!"

"Calm down, you two, they're probably fine. Why don't we split up and go search for them?"

"How do you expect me to calm down?! More importantly, how can you know they're fine?!"

"Ranch hand, listen," the old man says. Rude nickname, but better than calling him by the name of who I knew him as.

The wolf says to growl at him and shift, go look for the cubs. I hold it back.

".....It's been an hour," I force out, gritting my teeth.

"I know, which is why we need to search for them. How about this: we split into three groups. Sky and the veteran in one, the captain, sailor, and smithy in another, and then you and I. We go in three different directions, and meet up back here by sundown. That should leave us a few hours to search, time to get back, and nobody will be alone."

It also means I can't shift. I can smell and hear just fine as a Hylian, but I'm even better as a wolf.

"...Alright."

Better than nothing.

"Is everyone else in agreement?"

The captain, Sky, and the smithy nod like normal people. The sailor gives an over the top salute with a determined gleam in his eyes as he scrunches up his face in an exaggerated 'serious' look. The veteran just grumbles. It's great hearing things no one thinks I can, because I'm able to catch the fact that he said,

"I told them they were gonna get lost. Those lovable idiots are gonna get such an earful when we find them."

I would have laughed out loud if I wasn't so worried about the lost members.

"Okay then. The captain's group will go that way, Sky and vet, go that way, and we'll go there," he says as he points.

"Let's find the Links missing from our chain."

".....For Din's sake."

The old man lets a shit eating smirk appear on his face. 

"You asshole!" the veteran shouts.

"Okay, go!"

He rushes in our direction to escape the veteran's death threats, gesturing for me to follow. He thinks he's hiding his chuckles well, and maybe he is, but I can hear him as we speed walk away from the small camp site.

"Really, old man? Or should I say, young child?"

"I had to lighten their moods somehow. Especially you and the vet. I am worried, but you two have been frantic."

".....Yeah, we have been mother cuccos."

"Or like wolves protecting their pups."

..................That simile was a coincidence, right?!

"Don't be surprised, ranch hand. You're not exactly being discreet. You and that wolf that follows the cook around, are one and the same."

I stop in my tracks, and he turns to meet my gaze.

"H-how?"

"You're never around at the same time, you have a strong connection with the champion, your senses are above average, you even have the same markings on your head."

Butter my ass and call me Shirley.

"Well then, I suppose I can shift now so I can track them better?"

"Do as you must."

I take the curse in the form of a necklace out from under my tunic. The old man gasps.

"That pendant..."

"What? Have ya seen it before?"

"It's..."

What has him so shocked? How could he recognize it? It doesn't even exist in his time!

"It's like a weird pinecone."

I- by the Three!

"You ass!"

He simply winks at me, and waves his hand as if telling me, 'Go on.'

I roll my eyes and grasp the pendant. Black flakes envelop me and block my vision for a split second, as I feel my body shifting and reconfiguring. I don't know if it stopped hurting over time, or if I'm just used to it, but the only sensation I have is a slight cracking in my bones.

When I open my eyes, I'm closer to the ground. I can see every blade of grass, moving in the wind. I can hear the chirps of birds and banter of our teammates in the distance. The smell of wild birds and leaves and damp earth doesn't overwhelm my senses like it did the first time.

Then there's the scent of the old man. Like the traveler hero, he reeks of magic, but in a different way. The older of the two is like the essence of the forest itself. As if the wind and grass and trees are a part of him. Though, not these trees. Not this wind. He belongs somewhere else.

Maybe I can catch a whiff of it when we land in his time.

His scent isn't what I need to find right now, though. What I need to search for is the traveler and cook's scents. 

The traveler, who smells like magic. He is many different things at once. He is the smell of the hearth, of the burning of logs during the winter. He has the scent of electricity, of a crackling destructive energy that singes it's foes and leaves a strange taste in your mouth. He smells of sugar, sweet and comforting, light and healing. Contradictory, but it works for him.

The cook, who smells like the wild. Like green fields and dark woods, like harsh weathers, like strong winds and deep lakes. He also smells like food, mostly since he keeps so much on him. Energizing stews and strengthening simmered fruits, and the smoke of a campfire that will never leave his clothes no matter how much he washes them.

I can't find them.

There is the old man's forest, and faint smells of the sailor's ocean, the smithy's forge, Sky's breeze, the veteran's island, and the captain's battlefield. I can't find the traveler's magic, and there is no trace of the champion's wilds.

'Search for the cubs, they're lost, they're not safe, search, search! Save them!'

I whine at the old man.

"No luck? Lets keep going, then. They can't be that far."

But they can be, they are! It's like they completely disappeared!

I begrudgingly follow, my ears perked and my nose to the ground. As we search, I find myself growing restless and anxious. If I let instinct take over, I would be tearing the forest apart to find them, perhaps even pull a 'champion' and burn it down. I perk up at anything that sounds like a footstep, and hold back growls at any unfamiliar scents. I can't help but imagine horrible things happening to them.

Their bodies, washed up on a riverbank.

"It's starting to get dark. We should go back."

I growl at that.

"We have to, ranch hand. We need to make sure the others are okay and not lost."

The others...

Their bodies, impaled with swords and spears.

I know where the others are, at least. He's right, we should focus on who we have right now. Figure out dinner. Set up camp. Sort out who's going to take the traveler's watch.

I huff, and start walking back. The old man follows close behind me.

Their bodies, consumed by flames.

No, stop. They're fine. They're capable, and from what I know, they were mostly alone on their travels. Up until I joined the champion on his adventure, at least.

They shouldn't have had to be alone. Especially the champion, after losing sixteen years of memories. And after experiencing the traveler's world, I can't imagine going about that alone, along with the weight of the world on my shoulders. At least wherever they are right now, they have each other.

Struck by lightning.

No. No. No. Experienced heroes. They're fine. But I can't help worrying. The wolf screams at me to protect them. All of them, not just the two lost ones. I'm deeply divided between staying to protect the group, or making sure everyone made it back safely and then going back to search for the others.

Drowned in blood.

"You should probably shift back, we're close."

Ah, right. Nobody else knows. I let the Twili magic envelop me, changing me back into my Hylian form.

"I couldn't catch their scents at all. It's like they disappeared into thin air."

"Not even from the direction they left in?"

"No, not a thing."

"That's... concerning," he says. He tries to hide his growing worry, but he's not as good at being calculated as he thinks he is.

".....Maybe the others found something?"

"Maybe. Let's go."

Turns out, they didn't find anything.

"Not even footprints or broken branches! Do you think they're okay?"

"They have to be. It'll be okay sailor, we'll find them," the captain says reassuringly.

"And then we're gonna give them the lecture of their lives," the veteran says, his arms crossed. He acts angry, but from his earlier statement and his tapping fingers, I can tell he's just as worried as the rest of us.

"We've seen the traveler's magic, he's strong in both that and sword fighting. And we know how..... unpredictable the champion is. They're capable. Paired together, I'm sure they're doing okay wherever they are."

"Remember the explosive trip they had? They're more than capable, Sky."

"And yet, the monsters have been growing more than capable as well." Thanks for the confidence, old man.

"Maybe they're finding out why the monsters have black blood, wherever they are."

"If they are, they'd better be doing it safely," I reply. The veteran snorts.

"Have you met them? They're anything but careful when they have bombs, and it seems that the cook has an unlimited amount of those."

Fuck, he's right.

"We should set up camp here, maybe do double watch tonight. Does anyone know how to cook?"

"I can make one meal, and I don't have a vital ingredient."

"What's the missing ingredient?"

"Pumpkin."

"What's a pumpkin?" the sailor asks.

Everything is reminding me of the absence of the champion and the traveler. Cooking, questions about everyday things. Wait a minute, he just asked what a pumpkin is!

"Y-Y'all don't have pumpkins where you're from?"

"Nope."

"It's like... a really big plant. Some people say it's a vegetable, but I personally consider it a fruit since it has seeds," the captain explains.

"I had to deliver a bunch of pumpkin soup to this big whale once, so he could open up a path to where we needed to be."

"You met Levias?" Sky asks, a surprised look on his face.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. For now though, we should figure out who's cooking."

The champion usually cooks. The champion... the traveler...

Consumed by fire. Slain with swords. Drowned in blood. Shattering like mirrors.

I'm failing them. I'm to blame. I should have stopped them. I knew they would get lost some day. I know there are dangerous monsters. I know there are portals dragging us through space and time. I've seen the dangers Hyrule can hold. I've been scarred by the things that dwell in the shadows. I should have went with them. I'm to blame.

"Hey! Ranch hand!"

"Link!"

"Come on, snap out of it country boy!"

'The rest need you.'

"...Sorry, did someone ask a question?"

"Well yeah, and then you went and zoned out on us!"

"Be nice vet, he's obviously worried."

"We're all worried!"

"Ha! You admitted you care about them!"

"N-no I didn't!"

"Yeah you did! Right, sailor?"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

As the three of them argue, Sky carefully puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"It's like they said, I'm worried."

"That's alright, all of us are. Try staying with us though, okay? We need you."

"..........Do you, really?"

"Of course we do! You reign us all in from acting impulsive, you have good plans, heck, we all consider the old man an unofficial leader, and you might as well be second in command."

"But- but it's my fault!"

"What? No, ranch hand-"

"Don't try arguing, I know that I'm to blame! I know those two like wandering, and I didn't even try stopping them, or going after them, and now they're lost somewhere! They could be hurt, or worse, and it's all my fault!"

I didn't even realize how loud I had gotten until I stop shouting, and everything is quiet. I clench my fists and try to stop shaking.

"That's not true and you know it, dumbass."

I look up in surprise at the veteran.

"But I-"

"No. There was no way you could have known they wouldn't come back. Any one of us could have gone with them, or tried to keep them from leaving, but nobody did. Do you blame anyone here? The sailor? Sky? Do you blame me?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then why are the expectations higher for you?"

"I- I........"

I've never thought of it like that. It's just always been me that's at fault. That's how it is.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, we're going to attempt to make dinner. Then we're going to set up watch. We'll look for them more tomorrow."

".........Alright."

It's quiet for a moment, and then he goes shuffling through his bag.

"With everything in here, there's gotta be something edible...."

"I have milk." The old man holds up a bottle of milk that came from seemingly nowhere.

"Where did you get that? And how is it not spoiled from being in the hot sun for days?"

"I have my ways."

"Well, we can't make a meal out of milk," the sailor says.

There's shuffling from the woods.

"Wait."

"We can make a meal from milk?!"

"No, there's something approaching from the woods."

Everyone tenses up and follows my glare to a particularly thick bush. There's more rustling, audible to some of the others now, seeing as they're grabbing their swords. It sounds like footsteps, though, not like an animal or a monster...

Two figures burst out of the bushes, causing us all to prepare to fight, swords drawn and bows nocked, and suddenly-

"Hey guys, you'll never guess what we found!"

"Is everything okay? Why are your swords raised?"

The traveler and champion stand there, disheveled, and with smiles on their faces. The traveler has a bruise forming on his cheek, and the cook, while mostly unscathed, has more leaves and twigs visible in his hair than actual hair.

"You're alive!" the sailor shouts, lowering his bow.

"Where in Farore's name have you two been?! We were worried sick!" I march over towards them, a stern look on my face and medical supplies at the ready.

"Well, we got lost, and then there was this temple looking thing, which the traveler called a dungeon, and it was kind of like a shrine but bigger and with more puzzles and enemies, and we found this weird rock thing, and it was really cool. Have we been gone for long?"

There is so much fury and relief within me.

"You've been gone all day!"

"We have? Oh no... are we in trouble?"

The traveler sounds so much like the kids back home. Kids are my only weakness...

I know he's not a kid, yes, but the wolf in me considers him a pup. And he's about as innocent as a kid. Except for the blood thing. So.....

"You're...” I sigh. “That’s up to the old man. Now come here, both of you. You need wounds tended to, and you need to clean yourself up,” I say, pointing at the traveler and champion respectively.

I drag them both to the campfire that the smithy set up, and make them sit down. As they get lectured by the old man and veteran, I patch up their scrapes and scratches and add input occasionally. Luckily, neither of them are too bad. A bruise here and there, but the champion is surprisingly without bad injuries, and the traveler hasn’t had any blood spilled at all. At some point, Sky joins in on the lecture, his words soft but effective. I swear, he sounds like Uli when she’s disappointed, which is a scary thing.

While I sit here, my cubs- FRIENDS safe and sound, the fire crackling as the sailor heats up some soup he had, I find that I’m content. Relaxed, for the first time since the traveler and champion went missing. 

‘Safe,’ says the wolf, and I can finally let an easy smile on my face whilst I pick the twigs and leaves out of the cook’s hair. I glance over at the old man (Hero’s Shade, I know of his terrible fate), and find that he’s grinning slightly as well. And in this moment, it feels like Ordon used to, like what I’ve been missing ever since the mirror shattered.

Home.


	8. Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind knows a lot more than the others think he does.

_"So what is it?"_

_"A weird, red magic rock."_

_"Obviously."_

_"I believe she meant to ask what it's purpose is."_

_"It does have a strange energy..."_

_"I'm gonna touch it."_

_"No! Do you want to die a second time?"_

The group is looking at the rock that the traveler brought back from the dungeon they found. Link, who has been dubbed the sailor by the rest, has tried and failed to touch it several times.

"Sailor, even the champion isn't touching it. It's gotta be dangerous."

"But captainnnnnn!"

"He's right, it gives off a lot of strange magical energy, I can't tell what it is. It might be cursed."

_"See?"_

_"Come on, it's not gonna affect us like it can affect them. I'm touching it."_

_"For the love of Nayru, you don't know what it'll do! I thought you had some common sense."_

_"I do, just not enough for me to not touch the rock."_

Link sighs and gives up. He doesn't want anything bad to happen, and he doesn't want to worry the others. Even if he is a pirate and most definitely could touch it if he wanted to.

"Fine."

"You'd better not get all mopey about this."

"Damn it."

_"See? Even the kid has more common sense than you."_

The sailor wants to jump up and shout at them. He's not a kid! Unfortunately, they don't know he can see them, and neither do his newfound friends. They'd call him crazy, and then laugh at him, because he's just a 'stupid kid'. Then they'd leave him all alone. And then he'd die! Besides, he doesn't want to violate their trust by bringing up the, quite literal, ghosts of their pasts.

They started appearing after he and Tetra had returned from their second adventure. Maybe it had something to do with the ghost ship, or the Phantom Sword, he has no idea. Whatever the reason, the lingering spirits of the past are visible to him. It was kind of scary at first, but now it's just an everyday oddity. The price of being a hero. Also a nuisance, since ghosts can be fucking hilarious (especially these ones) and he has a hard time not laughing.

He does wonder, sometimes, why there are thirteen spirits in this group alone.

Four following the champion, wearing the same color as his tunic. A Rito, who offers immense criticism, a Zora, who hugs him after it's apparent he's had a bad night, a Goron, who pats (slaps, more like) his back after a victorious battle, and a Gerudo, who gives unheard advice. He and the old man are tied for the most spirits following them. 

The older's spirits follow closely, giving encouragement, except for one. One clings to him closer than the others, like a cloud of smoke slightly shaped like a Hylian, and is almost always whispering things that the sailor can't hear. He doesn't like that one. The others are much nicer. There's another Zora who is constantly humming, a Goron who practically radiates bravery, and something else Link can't quite categorize. Whatever it is, it's small and adorable, looks tree-like, and has an aura that feels like nature.

The veteran has two. An older man with black hair and calloused hands, who doesn't speak much other than to reign the other spirits in and to try his best to talk with the vet. And then there's the girl. She has red hair and a blue dress, and she rocks back and forth like the tide coming in then retreating. She has a hibiscus in her hair, and she sings a haunting melody that Link recognizes from Ciela. She sings her song at night, which lulls him to sleep, and at random points throughout the day. She's different from the others. There's something about her, the way her image blurs and flickers sometimes, that makes it seem like she's bending reality to stick around.

The rest of them have either one or no spirits with them. The ranch hand, traveler, and sailor himself don't have any lingering ghosts. Sky has a lady with him, who is, to say the least... strange. Her eyes, hair, and skin are completely blue. She wears a fancy outfit, which is blue and purple. The weirdest thing about her, though, is that Sky can hear her. He mentioned talking to the Master Sword... perhaps this is Fi. She's cool in the sailor's book, after all, the first thing she said about him to Sky was that he shouldn't be underestimated.

The smithy is another special case. There's no visible body, even to the young pirate, but the spirit that follows him is still very much there. Link can tell by the way his shadow moves. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not, sometimes it follows the blacksmith's movements, sometimes it does it's own thing. This is especially confusing, but hey, it's not his business.

The captain has the spirit of a soldier following him. He had been there since the sailor had helped the captain in his war, so he must have died early on. That might explain why his big brother was so quiet when they first met. The spirit hardly ever left the captain's side, so the sailor had only spoken to him a few times during the war. Link gathered that his name was Jason, but he preferred to be called Jay, and he was very close to the captain. When he asked about their relationship, Jay had smiled and ruffled his hair.

"He considers you a brother, little pirate, as do I. Take care of him, won't you?"

No straight forward answer, but after days of thinking about his words, Link concluded that the captain was about as straight as the answer Jay gave him. His theory was confirmed when he caught sight of Jay resting his head on the captain's, his hands on his shoulders, reading something that was in the process of being written, while he smiled sadly.

Jay had always seemed like he had a level head, but currently, he's being convinced not to touch the probably cursed rock.

_"Don't call him a kid, he'll kick your ass. And why can't I touch the rock if my hand will probably go through it anyways?"_

Yes! Finally, someone who respects his adulthood.

"So what do we do with it? We can't exactly leave it here."

_"It could be any sort of magic! What if it affects not the living, but spirits?"_

"Well, it must be important if it was in a dungeon. I say we keep it with us."

_"You have a point there..."_

"And what if carrying it around attracts monsters? Or brings bad luck?"

_"So? What are we not touching?"_

"It's a fucking rock."

_"You're not my dad."_

_"Answer me."_

"Don't underestimate the magic of rocks, sailor."

_".......The stupid rock."_

"What? Did you encounter magic rocks that brought bad luck or something?"

_"Exactly."_

"No, I encountered magic rocks that brought good luck. Maybe we should vote or something, that way everyone has a say."

The word 'rock' has been said so many times now, it doesn't sound like a real word anymore.

"Good idea, smithy. Okay, everyone for taking the rock, raise your hand."

Link, the veteran, the champion, and the captain raise their hands.

"And against?"

The old man, ranch hand, and Sky. The blacksmith looks conflicted for a bit, then raises his hand as well. The traveler looks at us in confusion.

"Wh-what's a- um..."

"We're seeing who wants to do what, and whatever choice is the most decided on, we go with that."

"Oh, okay. Ummmmm..... I think we should take it."

The sailor thinks it's adorable how the veteran denies that he's soft, and then goes about hovering over the traveler, making sure he isn't hurt and helping him with definitions.

"Okay, looks like we're bringing the rock. We should probably wrap it in something."

"I have an empty box somewhere in my bag."

"That'll work."

"We could also just put in back in my Slate."

_"How would he even categorize that?"_

_"It's a key item, obviously."_

_"Well, he keeps all of his rocks in his materials tab."_

_"This rock is important though."_

_"I don't mean any offense, but must we always argue over something that is ultimately not our decision?"_

_"Mipha is right. This is absolutely asinine."_

_"You're the one who asked where he was gonna put it in the first place."_

Here they go again. Link is constantly stuck listening to two ridiculous arguments at once, it's really annoying. He rolls his eyes and rests his head in his hands.

_"Sorry about all of the bickering, kiddo. They just can't seem to calm down, huh?"_

"Always with the arguing. What do you say we start packing up while those two figure out where to put the damn rock?"

The pirate nods at both Jay and the captain, and gets to work putting up his bedroll. Halfway through packing his things, Sky walks over and starts helping him.

"Oh- thanks!"

"No problem, sailor."

Bedroll, extra blanket, bait bag..... is Sky wheezing? Items, dry food, drinkable water... all set!

"This yours?" Sky holds out his delivery bag.

"It is! I can't believe I almost forgot about it, thank you Sky!"

"You're welcome. Anything else you need help with?"

"I don't need help with anything. Do you? I noticed your breathing is weird."

"I'll be fine, something here is making my asthma act up. Probably pollen or something, it doesn't help that it's so hard to breathe on the Surface. I just have to live with it unless it gets worse though, I don't know the next time I'll end up in Skyloft for the doctor to refill my inhaler."

"That sounds like it sucks ass."

"Such language. And yeah, it does, in your words, suck ass."

Link is kind of surprised. This is the first time he's heard Sky curse.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Thanks for asking, sailor, but not really. I guess just try not to spray something with a really strong smell, like perfume. Now, it looks like those two finally settled on where to put the rock, we should get going."

"Alrighty then!"

The pirate worries for the Skyloftian, but trusts that he can take care of himself. If he catches it getting worse, he's fucking forcing him to keep his word and use the goddess damned inhaler.

They start their long trek of the day, Link dreading the pains he know will start in his feet. He's used to small islands and boats, not this shit! When he and Tetra find a new land to call Hyrule, he'll definitely make sure there's a better way of transportation than walking. Maybe whatever it is should have wheels, like those broken down wagons in the cook's time. But better, faster! What would he call it though? Hmmm........... transportation... traaaansportation... traaaaaaaaaansportation...

"AHA!"

Eight heads turn to stare at the sailor, who's idea was SO good, he'd shouted out without realizing it.

"Oops, sorry. I just had this great idea! I was just thinking, walking sucks, I miss boats. But Tetra and I are looking for a place as big as your Hyrules are, and we'll have to do a bunch of walking once we start a settlement there. So, you know those 'wagons' in your Hyrule, champion? I was thinking, what about that, but bigger for more people, and maybe made of something less breakable than wood? So I was wondering, what do I call it? Then I got the idea: transportation, you take the first part of that word, change it up a little, and boom! TRAIN!"

“What about horses?”

“Ranch hand, ranch hand, ranch hand. I have no idea what the fuck a horse is.”

“Wait, what?! No pumpkins, no horses, that’s like half of my childhood you’re missing out on.”

“You’ve seen a horse, remember Epona?” the captain asks.

“Oh yeah, the weapon of mass destruction?”

“Wha- what the- weapon of- captain, explain!”

“She’s not a weapon of mass destruction, she’s a _horse_ of mass destruction.”

And so, the conversation is turned towards horses, wars, and how apparently captain’s Epona was overpowered. It continues with the captain answering the ranch hand’s questions, the sailor asking even more questions, the old man adding input every once in a while, and the champion commenting about how his Epona could definitely become a horse of mass destruction if he wasn’t paranoid about her getting hurt.

_“I disagree. The idea of that gentle horse hurting anything is completely asinine.”_

_“The amount of times you use that word everyday is asinine.”_

_“Shut up, Urbosa, I bet I could kick your ass even in the afterlife!”_

_“Could we stop fighting every five minutes?”_

Despite his exhaustion and throbbing feet, it’s peaceful. His hair is swept every which way by the wind, reminding him of Outset and his little sister. Memories fill his head, playing in the water and building sand castles, then getting called inside for Grandma’s soup, both his and Aryll’s favorite. Link smiles, thinking of a peaceful time before the day he had to watch as Aryll was taken away.

Then the peace is broken.

_“Monsters, up ahead!”_

_“What?!”_

_“Oh no, we have to warn them!”_

_“How?!”_

The sailor draws his sword, right before the ranch hand stops suddenly.

“Do y’all hear that?”

There’s footsteps from the woods, and Link rushes to the front of the group, raising his shield and blocking the bokoblin’s attack on the ranch hand.

“What the fuck?! This is from the Great Sea!”

Bushes rustle, and two more pop out, along with a creature that he has never encountered before. One of the smaller shrubs bursts out of the ground, to reveal a creature that looks like a big bulb with tentacles, just about to shoot whatever it shoots from it’s weird mouth. An arrow strikes it before it can do anything.

“Octoroks too,” the champion states.

“And a moblin from the Dark World?!”

Everyone bursts into action. The moblin is encased in a yellow glow and stops moving, while the bokoblins are caught in a flurry of attacks from everyone other than the champion and pirate. While they’re distracted and stumbling over their feet, not quite coordinated with each other yet, a third bokoblin emerges from the woods and engages the sailor.

They go back and forth for a while, attempting hits, but neither one landing any. Different from the pushovers he fought before. After a good few seconds, the sailor slips. The bokoblin takes it’s chance, and before the sailor can even begin to think of blocking or dodging, there’s a blur of green and blue, and a sword slices through its neck.

The captain stands above the body, glaring at it intensely. Anyone else would have thought him to be angry, but from the way his brother’s hands shake, Link can tell that he’s scared.

His suspicions are confirmed late in the night. He has first watch, and he’s poking at the embers of the fire, when the captain gasps and sits up in his bedroll, gripping onto his blanket for dear life. He looks around the camp, and seems to panic even more each time he sees one of his allies asleep. Then his eyes land on Link, and a strangled sound emerges from his throat. Jay puts a hand on his shoulder, a pained look in his eyes.

Instincts kicking in, he leaps into action, sitting in front of his brother immediately.

“Hey, hey, captain. Link. It’s okay, Link. Just a bad dream. Everyone’s safe. It’s okay.”

“I-I... why..... why’s everyone- everyone’s on the ground- sailor, sailor why aren’t they moving?”

Oh. Oh no.

“We set up camp, remember? Everyone’s asleep except us, cause I took first watch and you had a bad dream. They’re all alive, okay? Promise. Their hearts are all beating. So is mine, so is yours. Hey, why don’t you feel my heartbeat? Try to match my breathing, okay?”

Link slowly reaches for his brother’s hand and gently takes it in his own. He holds onto it for a small second, then moves it to his chest, putting it over where he knows his heart is. The sailor takes deep breaths like his grandma showed him, as he keeps a steady grip on the captain’s hand, not sure if he should let go. 

“Breathe, okay? We’re all safe, we’re all alive. Captain? Link? Can you breathe with me?”

“........Y-yeah...”

“Okay. I’m here for you, it’s okay. Breathe in... and out.”

The captain shakily follows along with the sailor.

“Awesome! You’re doing great. In... out... in... and out...”

This continues for a while, the captain breathing and the pirate helping him. Link whispers encouraging words, and slowly gets his brother to calm down. Jay never leaves, holding the hand that the captain doesn’t have on Link’s chest, an invisible reassurance that nobody but the sailor could see.

_“Thanks bud... he really loves you. You’re doing an amazing job of keeping him safe. And I know what you’re thinking, sailor. Yes, he may have protected you physically earlier, but right now you’re protecting him from himself. It’s just as important, in my opinion. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, okay?”_

They smile at each other, until the silence is broken.

“Sailor?”

“Hey, doing any better?”

He says nothing in response to that, just surveys the area, sees everyone sleeping peacefully, and pulls Link into a hug. The youngest hugs back almost immediately.

“Captain?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, sailor.”

They stay like that for a while longer, then Link pulls back and moves to lean against the captain’s side. When he feels his hand being grabbed and his pulse being taken, he does nothing but snuggle into his brother’s side even more.

“Have I ever told you about Jay?”

“No, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to. You should know, and I just... I wanna talk about him to someone.

“Jay was my boyfriend. I love him, and he loved me, and I was fully prepared to propose after our knight training was over, but... but then the war started. I was scared, of course, but me being me, I thought we would be fine. I still thought we had all the time in the world, despite the world being turned upside down before our very eyes. After all, we were at the top of our class. But then, two weeks after the war started, he............”

He takes a deep breath.

“He had lost his shield half way through the battle... he was caught off guard by an enemy, and..... he was in the same position as you were in earlier, except I was too late. I-I..... I guess that’s what triggered tonight’s nightmare. I saw you, and I know you’re capable of blocking or dodging, I know that, but... but it reminded me so much of Jay, of seeing him defenseless and not saving him, not being fast enough to save him, so I just ran without thinking. I couldn’t have it happen again. Not with you. You’re my little brother. I can’t lose you too. Please, sailor, please promise me you won’t leave too. _Please_.”

All three of them are crying now. The captain, the sailor, and Jay. Link wipes his tears with his free hand, grabs the captain’s, and looks him in the eyes with an intensity in his own.

“I promise. I promise, big brother. I’ll stay for you, I promise. You won’t lose me. I love you.”

The captain seems to cry even harder, and pulls him into a hug for the second time that night. Jay wraps his arms around them as well, and even though they’re all sobbing, Link feels safe as his brothers hug him.

“I love you too, little brother.”


	9. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time keeps a journal about his new adventure.

Night of the First Day

_Today is the first day of what seems to be a third journey. How lucky, that I had a spare notebook in my bag. I will be logging events of importance, this seems like something I'll want to remember._

_I traveled through time and space involuntarily again, though I suppose that shouldn't surprise me anymore. I've been through five time periods alone today, but it's the inhabitants of those times that are important right now, rather than the places. There are eight of them, two that I had the pleasure of meeting before, and one that seems familiar for reasons I can't place. All of them are past or future reincarnations of me. And each one is named Link._

_I thought the goddesses would be more creative in naming their heroes of courage, but I can't say anything about it, after calling myself Young Link for a good portion of the war across eras._

_The first two I met are my predecessors, the Chosen Hero of Skyloft and the Hero of Light. I had never heard of the Chosen Hero before now. If there's one thing I can say about him, it's that he's kind. He's one of the only people who are asleep as I write this. He wields the Master Sword, the very sword that stole my childhood. I can't help but be wary because of that, no matter how nice he appears to be._

_The Hero of Light was able to shrink in the bedtime stories Saria told me when I couldn't sleep, yet, the stories never mentioned his actual, non-magical height being so...... short. Nonetheless, he saved his home twice, so I'm in no place to judge, especially since I was about as tall as him half of my time in my quest through Hyrule, and most of my time spent in Termina. He doesn't mention his abilities, the shrinking one or the..... splitting one, so I'll keep quiet. They're his secrets to spill, not mine. He has a level head, calm and collected despite the oddities today brought. However, I have a feeling that his demeanor doesn't show a fraction of his real thoughts._

_The next we encountered, after being dropped through a strange portal, were the heroes of Legend and Hyrule. The first, the veteran, is quite snarky and sarcastic, with a strong hatred towards pants. He mentioned going on five quests, and doesn't speak any more about them. He's especially harsh towards the captain, whom I met during the war. The one who accompanied him when we first met, appears to be his polar opposite. Shy, humble, jumpy. It's clear that the traveler hero holds no trust for any of us, except perhaps the veteran. He pretends to sleep, but his breathing is uneven and his boots are still on. Prepared to run at any moment._

_Much like the traveler, the Hero of the Wild is withdrawn and suspicious of us as well. We met him alongside the Hero of Twilight, the one who I faintly recognize. The Hero of the Wild is an amazing cook. He made some food for the group after we settled down and set up camp. That's actually the only time I saw him smile today, when he was cooking. He only speaks when spoken to, or when it's important. It reminds me of the captain during the war._

_The Hero of Twilight..... easier and harder to describe than the others. When we first met today, he looked rather pale and surprised. I suppose I can be a bit intimidating. He lives in a small town, works on a ranch, and has the accent to prove his country background. There's something about him, besides his job and accent, something that reminds me of Malon. There is an uncanny resemblance between all nine of us, but it's far more apparent between he and I. He could pass as my son, if for some reason he needed to. The thing that stands out most to me about him is something I can't quite describe. A feeling, that I've never experienced before, something that makes me feel as if I need to protect him, with my own life if I must._

_That's ridiculous though. I don't even know him._

_The final two were the ones I had fought in the war with. Toon, now called the sailor, and the one we both considered a big brother, the captain. Toon was given his name due to how expressive he is. I bet the look on his face when he finds out I was Mask is going to be hilarious. We were as thick as thieves back in the war, terrors both on the battlefield and in the camp. I just hope he isn't as frequent of a pranker as he was before._

_The captain is a lot more talkative than he was before. I'm glad. His fellow soldiers in training said he used to be a lot more out there, before the war, before the 'incident'. I never found out what happened, but it must have been bad. Another thing to curse the goddess for. He doesn't deserve whatever broke him. I don't think he recognizes me. I don't blame him, I'm very different from the person he knew before. It just brings up the dilema of telling him or not._

_They're all interesting characters that I can't help but hope to get to know better. I just hope this doesn't take too long. Malon is still waiting at home._

Link shuts his notebook with a sigh. He doesn't technically have first watch, but he won't be able to sleep anyways. Might as well make himself useful.

He looks over to the sleeping figures of the sailor and the wielder of the Master Sword, and chuckles. He wishes he had his pictobox.

Evening of the Third Day

_We are currently recovering from being teleported to a particularly cold mountain in the champion's time, in a house that he assured us was abandoned._

_The ranch hand went out scouting a good while ago, and our seasoned veteran went after him. He was not successful in finding the other, coming back mostly empty handed._

_I say mostly, because a wolf followed him here. A friendly one, too. It immediately glued itself to the champion's side._

_I do hope the Hero of Twilight returns from his 'scouting' safely. However, I don't think there's a reason to worry. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's not scouting, and that he's actually leaning against the cook as he makes dinner, wagging his tail as he brings peace to the scarred hero._

Link observes the wolf one more, and starts sketching a picture of it in his notebook. He's much better at drawing than writing, after all.

Noon of the Fourth Day

_This morning, I took the captain aside and told him about my involvement in the war across eras. I expected him to look at me with surprise, confusion, possibly even hate for me not telling him sooner._

_What I did not expect, was for him to hop up to reach my head, ruffle my hair, and joke about how I wasn't supposed to get taller than him._

_I missed him. When he first opened up to me, started making jokes here and there, helped me after a nightmare, I felt like my physical age for the first time in what felt like forever. I was sent back in time so I could live my childhood, and that failed horribly. With the captain, I could almost forget about Termina, even if it was just a few moments._

_The best part about meeting him again, is that I can get payback for all the times he took advantage of my shortness. Suck on that, captain._

_Damn, I sound like the sailor._

Link puts his notebook in his bag, and stands.

"Okay, we should get moving again. Break over."

He still has no idea how the hell he was promoted to unofficial group leader in less than four days.

Night of the Fifth Day

_By the Three, it hasn't even been a week._

_Five days, and the traveler along with the champion have bombed a monster camp._

_I'm proud, actually, but I have to act otherwise since I'm the 'oldest' and 'most mature'. Mature? I grew up with immortal children. Nothing I do is mature. I wasted a whole day watching redeads dance. I bullied a cucco until it nearly massacred me. I wasted all of my money to get Epona from Ingo._

_I winked at the two when the veteran and ranch hand weren't looking, and I probably would have give them candy or something if I had any. Though, for the sake of our most parental members, they should probably stop._

Link bookmarks his page and shuts the notebook. He grins as he notices the two pyromaniacs silently chatting, more comfortable than they had been the previous nights.

Evening of the Tenth Day

_The blacksmith's Hyrule is beautiful. It's forest teems with colorful flora and fauna, and Castle Town, despite still being a young kingdom, has many shops and people, maintaining a cheerful atmosphere. His Zelda is just as lively as her kingdom, filled to the brim with questions about us and our times._

_We need to work on teamwork, especially in battle. Nobody was injured, and quite a few interesting moves were pulled, but most of us are used to working alone. It's only a matter of time before we have a slip up. And paired against these strong monsters with strange black blood?_

_I hope the ocarina works. At the same time, I hope it doesn't have to work. ~~I’m not going to fail these boys like I failed Mikau~~_

_The sailor seems troubled. I hope he's alright._

Link shuts the notebook and pulls his knees to his chest, and stays deep in thought until he is called for dinner.

Midnight of the Twelfth Day

_I was partially right._

_Our veteran had a near death experience today. However, it wasn't because of bad teamwork. The traveler just has asshole moblins. We're lucky he has healing magic. We're lucky we restocked on potions both in the smithy's world and here._

_It reminded me of ~~Termina~~ my second adventure. Not being able to do anything as he bled out._

_Speaking of blood, it seems the traveler has a much darker backstory than we expected. Constantly on the run from monsters to avoid Ganon's revival. He shouldn't have to be going through this. None of them should have suffered during their adventures. They shouldn't have had to have adventures in the first place._

_How long, I wonder, will children be forced to fight the goddesses battles?_

Link shoves the notebook into his bag, and prepares for another restless night.

Noon of the Fourteenth Day

_The traveler and the champion went out to explore during our break, and haven't come back._

_It's been an hour and nine minutes, twenty seconds._

_The ranch hand and veteran are frantic, arguing with each other about what to do and where they could be. The smithy is muttering to himself, and the sailor is staring off into space with a worried look in his eyes. The captain is trying to stop the argument in vain, along with Sky, who is a little bit more successful in his efforts._

_As for me, I'm going to arrange search parties. I hope those two are okay._

Link stands up, and walks over to the arguing members.

"Ranch hand, listen."

Early Morning of the Fifteenth Day

_I'm happy to say that our missing members came back safely, if not slightly bruised. It appears they found a dungeon, in which they found a strange rock. They're also probably leaving details about explosions out. I don't blame them._

_The rock they brought back is slightly tinted red, and has a strange magical aura. It doesn't have any special designs, and it's not in any particular shape that anyone recognizes. It is what it sounds like- a rock. The only special thing about it is it's color and magic._

_I was right about the ranch hand. I should start jokingly calling him pup. That reminds me... he performed one of the hidden skills I've been perfecting. I wonder how he learned them. I only ever planned on passing those moves onto family, if any of Malon and my kids wanted a future involving fighting._

_..........It's not- he's not family, is he?_

_I wonder if he knows anything about this._

Link watches the rising sun, mind racing with disbelief, curiosity, and hope.

Night of Seventeenth Day

_We landed in the champion's Hyrule this morning. The portal dropped us in a field, where we had a clear view of a ruined castle and large metallic structures. Immediately, the champion had pulled out his bow, before settling down and putting the arrow back in his quiver. It was silent, before the captain asked what the 'strange metal things' were._

_Then, one of the aforementioned strange metal things starting moving as it lit up with a red light._

_It turned towards us, and in a split second, the champion nocked an arrow and shot it in the eye. It exploded in a shower of blue light and metal scraps. The champion turned in the opposite direction and motioned for us to follow, not saying a word. When asked what it was again, he gave a response in sign language._

_"They are guardians. If they see you, they'll kill you. Don't let them see you."_

_Don't let them kill you._

_He didn't speak for the rest of the day, save for tonight, as he was making dinner. He was cutting vegetables, and broke the tense silence._

_"I should tell you about what happened here."_

_And he did. He told us about the prophecy, about how one hundred years ago, a young boy pulled a sword and a princess was given shoes that were too big to fill. He told us about the other champions, about his rival, his brother, his sister in arms, and his fiancée. He told us a story of children being thrown into a war, a story of death and resurrection and amnesia, a story of remembering and defeating a Calamity._

_And he told us that he's to blame._

_So I told a story. A story of a princess's prophecy and a boy who pulled a sword and slept for seven years. A story of children being thrown into a war, and a story of how the kingdom was ruined as the young hero slept on. And after I described the ruins of Castle Town, and about the ranch, the state of Goron City and Zora's Domain, I asked him if it was my fault._

_"No, of course not!"_

_"Then why are you at fault?"_

_He was stunned into silence. I put my hand on his shoulder, and told him that it was out of his control. I tell him that he was far too young to be pulled into this eternal fight- we all were._

_The ranch hand leaned on his side and gave his own advice. Then the traveler moved to sit by his feet and said he didn't blame the champion, and that anyone who did was just mean. And then Sky came over and pulled him into a side hug. And then the sailor told him how brave he was, and suddenly he was surrounded by heroes of the past, being encouraged and comforted, and he wiped the tears from his eyes and took a picture of the group. No one objected._

_I'm going to protect these boys from anything else the goddess throws at them. She's damaged them enough, and so help me, She won't damage them further._

_She doesn't have a choice._

Link looks at the sleeping heroes, then stands and draws his sword. As he circles the perimeter of camp, he kills any monsters that come close. He doesn't wake the traveler for his watch.

Night of Eighteenth Day

_The moon was red. By the goddess, the moon was red. It was red. It was red, and it wasn't falling but I could almost see it crushing Clocktown and it's my fault it's all my fault it's falling and it's all my fault. I'm sorry Mikau, I'm sorry Darmani, I'm sorry, son of the Deku Butler._

_Whoever you were, whatever your story, I'm sorry to you too, Fierce Deity._

Link grips onto the notebook for dear life, and tries to keep his shaking hidden from the hero on watch.

Late Afternoon of Twentieth Day

_We were traveling in the smithy's time today, when the sailor piped up and suggested nicknames._

_"I mean, we don't wanna keep calling him the old man for the entire adventure, do we?"_

_The veteran said that, yes, yes we do. The captain asked what kind of nicknames we would be given._

_"I think they should be based off our hero titles. So you could be called Warriors. I would be called Wind, the ranch hand would be Twilight, the cook could be called Wild, like that!"_

_The only problem we ran besides Warriors teasing the veteran about being called Legend, was the smithy's endless supply of hero titles despite being on only two adventures. He ended up being called Four._

_"Are you guys sure it's not weird that I'm being called Hyrule?"_

_We said yes. After all, it's clear that the traveler loves his kingdom._

_Wind turned to me after everyone else had been named._

_"So that makes you Time!"_

_"I suppose it does." And when I smiled at him, he smiled brighter._

Link closes his notebook, and takes in the sight before him. Four is examining Wild's broken sword, Wind is taking pictographs of the scenery, Warriors and Legend are sparring as Hyrule watches them, and Sky is carving something out of wood.

Time smiles.

Early Afternoon of Twenty-Second Day

_We were separated. I'm alone with Warriors, so at least he's safe. But the rest- we can't find them. I hope they're safe, I hope they're all together. I worry immensely about them. I've gotten attached, and it hasn't even been a month. That doesn't matter right now though. What matters is finding my boys._

Where Time grew up, blood relation didn't matter. Family was the people you were close with, the people you would love no matter how much you hated them. Back then, his family was the Kokiri. Now, it's his wife plus the heroes from across space and time.

Strange transition. He's used to strange, though.

Time stands, and tugs on Warriors' scarf to get his attention. They nod at each other, and continue into the wild to search for their family.


	10. Interlude of Tenebrosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “For what I have done, and have failed to do, I’m sorry.”

They're trapped. They don't know where they are, but it's dark, and lonely, and painful. There's an utter lack of everything, no sound, sight, taste, smell, not even physical feeling except for the pain. They've been there so long, they only have scraps of memories. What they do know, is that the memories make absolutely no sense to them, and they've starting hearing voices. Just small snippets of conversations, but recently, it's been getting more frequent and clear.

"...not far from Castle Town, Zelda should be there..."

"...all faced him at one point..."

"...reach the Town of Rauru by nightfall, then tomorrow..."

"The captain's group will go that way, Sky and vet, go that way, and we'll go there..."

"No, I encountered magic rocks that brought good luck..."

"I should tell you what happened here."

Usually, that's all they're able to hear. Right now though, they could hear the conversation loud and clear.

"Fuck."

"No shit, the moon's fucking red!"

"W-what's going on?"

"It's a blood moon, we'll be fine, it looks a lot worse than it is. Monsters that I've killed before will be resurrected tonight. I usually hide out in a village if I'm low on supplies, but as long as we stay away from monster camps, we'll be fine."

"Are you okay, old man?"

".........I- I...... I'm fine."

Whoever this 'old man' is, he certainly sounds not fine.

"Come on, Tarry Town isn't far."

It's silent again, but not like the silence they're used to. They can hear footsteps, and wind howling. The silence of the empty void was nothingness- this one is just an absence of voices.

Then, it's not dark anymore. It's gradual, but after looking at the same thing for who knows how long, it's noticeable from the moment it begins. There's a growing light, at first like the flame of a candle, then becoming as bright as the sun. They didn't like the sun, before they got to wherever they are. Now, even though it's a bother, it's a welcome change. The light expands until it's as overwhelming as the nothingness of the void was, then it's suddenly gone.

Then he remembers. He remembers everything.

He remembers waking up for the first time in his life, new to the world, confused, naive, his only memories of a boy in green. Then a shadow cast over him, and he cowered before the monster that stood before him.

Ganon.

"You were created to destroy Hyrule's future. Your job is to kill your counterparts, the heroes.

"Your name is Shadow."

And so, being easily manipulated, he followed suit. Shadow hunted the hero, tricked him into releasing the wind mage, and watched as his mind and body were torn apart by the Four Sword. He fought them, and was beat by a fucking fairy of all things (He picked up the foul language from the only one he had been around since being created, the great Ganon himself). His failure was not forgotten without a punishment.

Shadow did better after that. He will admit, he took joy in taking over the castle and kidnapping children at the time. Regret fills his chest as he remembers that part. He stalked the heroes nearly every hour of the day, growing to like them somewhat despite his protests, especially the one in purple. Vio, they called him. Red was horrible at names, though two out of three of the other Links didn't dare say anything about it (Red really was adorable). It was stupid, how quickly he grew to admire them. He was supposed to be their mortal enemy! He was supposed to kill them! So why was he attached already?

.....Shadow was born from the minimal evil in Link. Maybe he was only attached because he was a part of them. Well, fuck that. He didn’t need anyone. He'd kill the heroes, and fulfill his purpose.

More memories flash by. A separation of brothers, a betrayal, his first friend. Well, at least he thought so. For a second time, his heart is torn in two as he witnesses Vio about to smash the mirror, his source of life.

He remembers that the night before Vio's betrayal, he spoke about how he hated goodbyes.

"Goodbyes are for if you'll never see that person again. I always say 'see you later' instead, then there's that promise. That faint message of 'I will see you again'. Goddess, I sound like Red, but... goodbyes are too sad."

"Aw, are you getting sappy with me?"

"Oh, hush."

"Haha! Anyways, we should get some rest. Big day of evil doing tomorrow, after all."

"Heh, yeah. Goodnight, Shadow."

"See ya later?"

"Yeah... see you later."

It gets bad after his second failure, new scars and bruises from his 'master' constantly reminding him of his mission. He has time to think about Vio and his brothers. Himself, as well. What had Ganon called them? His counterparts. Heroes. Shadow had read every book he could get his hands on, and from reading ancient legends, discovered that the word 'hero' is a positive thing. A savior. A generally good person, especially the Chosen Hero of Skyloft, who had rescued the land that would become Hyrule, and the people he lived with. It was an entertaining story. The Hero of Skies was obviously the good guy.

Which is why he was confused about Link. Ganon has said they were the bad guys. Shadow had been working for a better world. Right?

But then why would Vio choose his hero counterparts- brothers- over Shadow?

In the end, he decided on the hero's side, and paid with his life. Courageous Green, compassionate Red, protective Blue, intelligent Vio, wise Zelda, had crowded around him for a final goodbye. They told him he was their friend. That he had done so much for Hyrule, for them. They all looked close to breaking down, even Blue and Vio, who had hard times expressing their emotions. Red had tears streaming down his face, and despite that, he smiled his reassuring smile that made Shadow think it would be okay. Everything would be okay.

But it wasn't. Because he had died.

And yet, there was one more memory that remained.

"Hey Shadow, it's Link. All of us. We sealed him away with the sword, we're all back together now. It's definitely gonna take some getting used to- there's always an argument about something- but if there's one thing we all agreed on, it's you.

"Wow... what to say? We didn't have a body to bury, but we put a grave for you in the Four Sword Sanctuary. We figured you should be remembered, even long after we're gone. We really appreciate what you did, you know. Vio feels really guilty, we all do, but, especially him. He thinks there could have been another way. He says he would have found another way, he's trying so hard to find some way to bring you back. It's eating away at him. Our memories kind of combined when we did? Like, we never truly got to be one person again. You know how, in puzzles, there's those pieces that look like they fit, but they still have those gaps that let you know they don't? We're like that. We're Link, but not really. There's cracks that can never be filled again. That's beside the point though! We have memories of each others points of view. And we- I? Well, there's something you should know.

"Vio really enjoyed his time with you. He loved being with you, he considered you a friend. Genuinely. Like I said, he feels really guilty. You know he's smart though. He wouldn't have done it if he saw a different way, but at the moment, his priority was saving the kingdom, even though he loved you with every fiber of his being. He still does. You're like a brother to him, to all of us. You were our fifth part. We're not whole without you. In those last moments, when you helped us fight Vaati, our teamwork felt better than it had ever been before. Even though it was just one battle, we're glad we fought alongside you. Basically, what we came to say, is...

"You destroyed yourself to create a future for Hyrule. You're our counterpart. You're a hero.

"You're our brother, Shadow.

".....We need to get going. We'll see you later, alright?"

Everything fades to black after he remembers Link's last words. He remains there for a moment, taking in what he'd just remembered, plus the heartbreak and happiness that had come with it. He was betrayed, but he understands why. He was endangering their kingdom, Zelda, their brothers. Brothers. He had learned about that while reading, too. It was only now that he realized it didn't have to be by blood. That was the happy part, actually. He had brothers, even if it was just in that moment. Brothers who told him he was a hero.

Shadow was created to destroy a future, and he destroyed himself to create one. He could live with that. If he was alive.

Well this sucks! Now he's stuck in the goddamned void with absolutely no company, only his racing thoughts to entertain him. His thoughts are horrible! He's gonna go insane in here.

At least, that's what he thinks, until a weird purple hole appears in front of him.

"This supposed to be some sort of portal?"

The void says nothing.

"I guess it's better than sitting around in silence with absolutely nothing to keep me sane," he mutters to himself.

Then he senses something through the weird hole-portal. Something that gives a vibe of light, goodness, courage.

Something that feels exactly like Link. Like Red, Green, Blue, Vio.

"He's trying so hard to find some way to bring you back." Those words echo in his head. Did Vio do it? Did he actually find some way to bring him back from death?

"We'll see you later, alright?"

He doesn't doubt it. Vio's a fucking genius.

That decides it. If there's some way he can get back to them, even the smallest opportunity, he'll take it. What will he do when he finds them? Cry? Yell? Hug them? He laughs at the thought of hugging Blue.

"You're our brother, Shadow."

It doesn't matter. He'll find them and stay by their sides. Side? Eh, he'll figure that out too. They're his counterparts. They're his brothers.

Shadow clenches his fists, takes a deep breath, and with a determined gleam in his eyes, walks through the portal.


	11. Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky and Legend have been separated from the group.

I groan as I sit up, rubbing my head. Those portals are really not nice about how they drop us. Whoever is doing this could have at least waited for us to wake up. When we switch worlds, Legend and/or Wind will swear and Four will either chastise them or join in, but my companions are unusually silent this time. Perhaps they're still asleep? I look around to find myself fallen in the dirt, grass surrounding me and a rock to my right, which Legend is face down next to. To my left is one of the glowing structures Wild called a shrine. I hear flowing water, and it smells like rain.

The most notable thing about the place, is the absence of most of my teammates.

"Legend? Legend, wake up! Are you okay?"

"Mmm........ fuck off, Blaze, gimme five more minutes........"

What? Who's Blaze?

"Legend, it's Sky. You need to wake up, everyone's missing!"

"What?" He sits up and rubs his eyes, then looks at our surroundings. 

"Well fuck. Fucking shit, first we're being teleported throughout time, now we're getting fucking separated. Great. Fucking great!"

"We don't know that yet, maybe we were just dropped a bit further than the rest for some reason. Lets look for them, yeah?"

Legend rolls his eyes, then shivers.

"It's fucking freezing up here."

"Really? I think it's just a bit chilly."

"That's cause you have all of those damn layers, not to mention that cape."

"It's a sailcloth. Now, do you want help getting up? We should start looking for everyone else."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he says as he stands and starts walking around. "Wild's Hyrule, then?"

"Looks like it. Hey, I'm not the only one who hears a waterfall, right?"

"Yeah, it sounds like it's coming from- holy shit! Sky, come look at this!"

"What's wrong? Do you see- oh!"

It seems that we're on a mountain. Where Legend and I stand, luminous blue stone marks the edge of the land we stand on. A waterfall flows from the stone, into a small pond at the bottom. Another waterfall flows not far from the pond, and beyond that is a large structure in the shape of a giant fish, made of the same stone. It is in the middle of a lake, bridges connecting it to land. There are specks of red and blue that must be people, judging by how they move around.

"It's beautiful..... Do you think the people there might be able to help us find everyone?"

"Maybe. I think we should explore up here a bit more, to make sure we don't miss anyone. Plus, there's the matter of getting down."

"My sailcloth lets me glide. What about you?"

"I think I have something that may work."

He sounds unsure.

"Maybe you should test it out jumping off of that rock before jumping to a possible death off the waterfall?"

Legend says nothing. He simply climbs the rock, pulls out a..... what is that? A stick? He pulls out the stick, jumps off of the rock, and instead of falling, he's shot several feet upwards. He floats down safely, and nods to himself.

"Okay, tornado rod should keep me from breaking my legs. Let's go look for the losers, shall we?"

"Legend, be nice."

"Ugh, fine. Let's go look for the losers and Hyrule."

"That's as good as it's gonna be, huh?"

"Yep."

We decide to search the field just beyond the rock that Legend jumped off of, then we'll search the peak of the mountain. If the rest of the Links aren't there, we'll glide down to the pretty glowy place, and ask whoever is down there about the group's whereabouts. Legend puts on a mask of nonchalance as we search the field, calling out the nicknames we decided on just two days ago.

"What are those?" I ask, pointing at one of the small elevated pieces of land that litter the field.

"I don't know, they kind of look like mini plateaus."

"Huh." I climb up on one of them. As soon as I get up, I hop back off.

"Is something up there?"

"I think it's a lizalfos, and just beyond it I saw a moblin. Should we fight them?"

"Too risky if they have black blood. They've been getting stronger, remember that moblin?"

"Yeah..."

After exploring a bit more, we come to the conclusion that our team isn't in the field with the 'mini plateaus'. As we start heading up to the mountain's peak, a feeling of dread takes its place in my gut.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"If anything goes wrong, we can just run back to the waterfall and glide down."

"Okay..."

The feeling doesn't leave as we walk the winding path to the peak. As we get closer, we see strange yellow arrows imbedded in the trees. I grab one to examine it closer, and the head sparks.

"Arrows with electricity?"

"May the goddess have mercy on us if Wild got his hands on those."

I let out a dry laugh, and drop the arrow. Fi chimes at me.

"Huh? What's wrong, Fi?"

"There is a 99 percent chance of a powerful monster at the peak of this mountain. Take caution, master. You should not face it unless absolutely necessary."

Powerful monster? Could the others be fighting it?

"Just checking, what's the other one percent?"

"There is a 1 percent chance that someone killed the monster after the most recent blood moon. However, that is very unlikely, seeing as nobody but the Hylian Champion has been able to defeat one in the most recent years."

"What's she telling you?" Legend questions.

"She says that there's a powerful monster at the peak. I'm worried that the others might be fighting it."

"We'd better hurry the fuck up, then."

And that we do. We rush to the peak, listening for the sounds of a fight. It remains silent, even as we reach the top. There are a few rocks and trees, some puddles, and a path that goes even higher. The strange arrows are scattered here, too, and there is no sign of our teammates or the monster. I walk towards the middle, looking around as I do. Legend follows soon after.

"Do you think it's invisible?"

As soon as the words escape his mouth, we hear a deep growl from behind us, sending shivers down my spine. We turn slowly, and there stands one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. From the waist down, it looks like a horse. And from the waist up-

"Sky, don't make a sound. When we get the chance, we run as far as we fucking can."

"Legend, what-"

The creature stands on its back legs, and lets out a terrifying roar.

"RUN!!!"

It's a good thing that I follow his instructions, because as soon as we move, the monster charges forward. It seems to have intended to trample us.

Legend grabs my arm and leads me to the entrance of the monsters area, an expression of fear that I've never seen on his face before. 

"What is that?!"

"It's a lynel!!! Now stop talking, more running!!!"

I hear a bow being drawn, and familiar sparks. I look back, and see the monster pointing three electrical arrows at us. Time seems to slow down. The arrows start to fly, and I'm suddenly aware that they are headed straight for Legend. I feel my eyes widen, and I hear Impa's voice in the back of my head.

_"The truth of it is, you were late. You were late, and you failed to protect her."_

I imagine the arrows striking him, shocking him and killing him. I was late to protect Zelda. I can't be late to protect the family I let Demise curse.

"NO!!!"

I push him out of the way, and feel myself falling forwards as well. I won't be able to dodge. The last thing I see before I'm hit is Legend's shocked face, eyes widening in horror, mouth starting to form words that I won't get to hear.

The first thing I feel is the thunk of the arrows against my chainmail. The next is the spreading of excruciating pain in my back and shoulder. Soon, the heat spreads throughout my body, the electricity being conducted through my chainmail and ultimately making things worse. I barely catch falling to the ground. The world gets fuzzy, and I struggle to breathe. I struggle to move, speak, do something, before the lump in my throat clears, and I start screaming. My arms and legs move of their own accord, twitching violently. I need to gain back control, I need to help Legend. But the pain is too great, my vision too blurry, sounds too muffled. I try to move my arms- I can only clench my fists. I struggle like this for what seems like an eternity, until the pain dulls down, and I finally start to see normally again.

My fingers still twitch, but I have control over my arms and legs. My breathing has yet to go back to normal, I may be having an asthma attack on top of everything. The ringing in my ears subsides, giving way to the sounds of cursing and battle. Wait- cursing? Battle?

Legend!

I shakily sit up, and see Legend skillfully dodging the lynel's attacks. He strings together words like a poet, except these words are much more foul, some of them seemingly in different languages. He seems unharmed, but he can't get any attacks in.

I try standing up. I just fall back down. I try calling out to him- I start coughing when I open my mouth. In a last resort attempt to get the lynel away from Legend, I pull out my bow and take aim, hitting it easily thanks to it's large size. It turns towards me, infuriated, and I look towards Legend in hopes that he'll understand.

He nods at me, and barrages the lynel with attacks from his sword. While he works on that, I pull out my inhaler and start shaking it up. As soon as it's ready, the lynel starts attacking Legend again. I shoot it, and the cycle repeats.

I shoot, Legend attacks, I use my inhaler and shake it up again, Legend dodges the lynels attacks, repeat.

After a small while of doing this, I've recovered enough to stand and hopefully get out of here. Legend is still attacking the lynel, though I can see him starting to sweat. He must be tired. Before the lynel can start swinging it's dangerous looking sword at Legend again, I start running closer. As I do, I nock an arrow and shoot it in the eye. It roars again, this time in pain rather than fury and anger.

I take Legends hand and start running. Luckily, the fight brought us closer to the exit than where we were before.

"Sky, are you okay?!"

I nod. Talking will wear me out faster.

We make it to the path, and we run until we're near the glowing shrine. I try going further. Legend stops me.

"Sky, we can rest now. It'll stick to its territory, it won't follow. You need medical attention."

I fall to the ground in response.

"Holy shit!"

"I'm..... I'm okay..... just tired....."

"Just tired my ass, you got hit by two of those arrows! And I've seen your chainmail before, It must have made things a lot worse. Take off your shirt, we need to see the damage."

"Legend, I'll be f-"

I start coughing again. He looks at me with a face that he usually reserves for Hyrule and Wild. I sigh, and take off my sailcloth, wrap, tunic, chainmail, and undershirt, revealing the angry lightning scars that the arrows left.

"Drink this," he says as he shoves a red potion in my face. I do as he says. He seems a lot angrier than usual. Did he get hit? Is he mad at me for slowing us down?

"I'm gonna wrap your injuries until we can get to more healing items. Hold still."

Legend keeps the neutral look of displeasure on his face. I stay silent as he wraps my wounds, hiding the scars from the world. I keep my eyes lowered, struggling not to fall asleep, until he gasps.

"What's wrong?"

"Are these scars... old?" he asks, pointing towards my right arm. White scars cover the whole arm, lightning burns from my imperfections during my fight with Demise.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It happened a while ago."

He looks at me like he wants to say something, but can't find the words. I speak first.

"Are you mad at me?"

"What?"

"For getting hit and slowing us down, I mean. Are you mad at me?"

"Hell no! Sky, you saved me. Why the fuck would I be mad because of that?"

"I slowed us down! Fi told me that it was dangerous and I wanted to go anyways, and look at where that got us. I'm-"

"Don't you dare apologize. You wanted to make sure the others weren't fighting that thing, which I think is perfectly reasonable. And I didn't object to it either. If it's your fault, then it's mine too. Listen, you catch your breath, then we're gonna go down to that weird place and find the others. Okay?"

".....Okay."

We sit there for a few more minutes. I use my inhaler a bit, then I just sit with my eyes closed and recover. Legend taps my shoulder.

"Hey, no sleep yet. We gotta go soon, we'll find an inn, okay?”

“We gotta find the others... what if they have to fight something like that, too?”

“I’m sure they’re alright. They’re capable of taking care of themselves, and the lynel we faced was just a really tough boss that we weren’t prepared for. If we had the supplies, we could have taken it.”

I hum in acknowledgment, then yawn.

“Come on, let’s head down.”

After I put my many layers back on, I grab my sailcloth as Legend brings out his tornado rod. We nod at each other, and I confidently run and jump, free falling before gliding at the last second. Legend takes a while longer to glide down. 

“Race you,” I challenge before running and jumping off of the next set of waterfalls.

“Hey! Unfair advantage!”

Whatever does he mean by that? Well, in any case, I win. I whistle as I wait, looking anywhere but at Legend when he makes it down.

“You asshole!”

“Such strong language, my friend.”

“I- gah! Just come on, stupid.”

We head towards the structure, a bridge leading to the main floor. As soon as we reach the entrance, someone stops us in our tracks.

“Halt! What is your business here, Hylians?” A fish lady with light purple scales points a spear at us, determination in her eyes. Before Legend can make any snarky retorts, I intervene.

“We’re terribly sorry miss, we’re separated from our traveling group, you see, and we just had quite the encounter with a lynel. We’re simply looking for a place to rest.”

“The lynel?! On Shatterback Point?! You two are lucky to be alive, much less standing! The inn is just that way, and our general store right there. The owner of the inn has maps, so she could point you to where your companions might be.” She steps to the side, motioning to the locations she mentions.

“Thank you so much!” I say with a smile, nudging Legend forwards and not so discreetly leaning on him for support.

As soon as we’re far away enough, I ask a question.

“Hey, do you know what race she is? I’ve never seen anyone like her.”

“I think she’s a Zora. If that’s the case, they look way different than they do in my time. We’re lucky they don’t seem to be hostile.”

“Huh...”

A wave of dizziness crashes over me, causing me to stumble.

“Shit, lean on me. Let’s get to that inn.”

I wish I had it in me to look around and appreciate the beauty of the building up close, but I’m so dizzy and tired, everything passes by as blue and red blurs. We stop walking after a while, and Legend is speaking to someone I don’t recognize.

“We need at least one bed. How many rupees?”

I blink and look at my surroundings. Blue, something shiny, a pot shaped like a fish, five people gathered around a bed who look like Four, a person occupying the bed who looks like Wind- wait, what?

After a double check, I find that I’m not wrong, unless I’m delirious.

“Four? Wind? Is that you?”

“Who are you talking to, Sky- holy fucking shit what in the name of Farore.”

“Guys, you’re okay!” the Four in the red tunic exclaims.

“They don’t look okay, at least not Sky,” the one in the purple tunic replies.

“Yeah, what the hell happened?” the one in blue questions.

“Shouldn’t we be explaining ourselves to them? I mean, it’s likely that they ran into a big monster like we did, so we’re the ones with the most explaining to do,” green tunic Four says.

“Sky, are you okay?” asks Wind.

“Yeah, we just had a bit of a shocking encounter... also, does electricity make you hallucinate?”

“Oh no, if we’re talking about the same thing then this is very real. You are talking about Four, right?” Legend responds.

“Yeah..... Legend?”

“What?”

“I’m passing out now.”

Then, my eyes drift shut, and the muffled shouts fade away into nothingness.


	12. Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild was alone.

"Link? Link, wake up..."

"Huh? Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah..."

"Hey, it's okay. Come here, you can sleep with me tonight."

"Okay........... Link?"

"Yes?"

"I miss momma."

Wild opens their eyes, and find that it is raining. They shake the dream from their head- they won't be able to remember, no matter how hard they try- and sit up. They sniffle and groan, their nose is clogged. Must be allergies. They look around at their surroundings.

They lay next to a cooking pot. There are a few boxes, a wooden barrel, an explosive barrel, and a campfire. Goddess, their head hurts. They can see one of the bridges leading to Zora's Domain. Wild rubs the sleep from their eyes and turns to their teammates, only to find that they're not here.

They jump up, ignoring the dizziness. The group has always stuck together, even after sudden switches. Did they get separated? Why would that happen? Did they decide they didn't need Wild anymore? Did the group finally realize that they're a failure? But- but they all told them that they didn't think that. Were they lying?

Wild sits back down and tries to control their breathing. They squeeze their eyes shut, thinking about what Sidon taught them.

"It will be okay, my love. Breath in for four seconds..."

One, two, three, four.

"Hold your breath for seven seconds now, you're doing amazing."

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

"Excellent! Now breathe out for eight seconds, I believe in you."

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

"Now repeat that as many times as you need, love. I'll make sure nothing else can harm you."

Sidon..... they're close to Zora's Domain. They could go see him. But the group... What if they're in danger? If they really did just accidentally separate, they could be anywhere. And if they're anywhere near here, there are a lot of things they could bump into. The blood moon brought everything back. Wild can think of five nearby Hinox, a talus, not to mention those lynels. They need to check all of those places, then travel down the main road to Zora's Domain for good measure. Those lizalfos can get overwhelming. Oh, and the guardian watchers in Upland Zorana...

Geez, it's no wonder why Hylians don't travel here that often.

"Okay," they whisper as they nod to themself. They pull out their map, cough a little (Ugh, they're congested), and warp to Mah Eliya Shrine.

The rain hasn't reached here yet. They start heading up to Shatterback Point, speeding up their pace. In their state of hurry, they leave behind the shock arrows. They need to make sure nobody is fighting that lynel.

The lynel's territory is silent, but they're not fooled. They walk out into the middle, and shock arrows are immediately being shot at them.

'All clear,' Wild thinks as they run up the peak and jump off. The East Reservoir Lake sparkles in the morning light, much more beautiful than it was when it was being flooded by the corrupted Divine Beast. They let themself drop onto another ledge to regain stamina, then glide down to where the talus resides.

Approximately three minutes later, they're running to avoid getting crushed.

"All clear!" they shout as they warp away to Sato Koda Shrine.

As soon as they get there, they're hiding to avoid getting caught in the watcher's field of vision. Ignoring the growing feeling of grossness in their stomach, they search Upland Zorana, barely avoid getting caught, then start the trek down to Ralis Pond. As they do, they have some time to think.

Wild wonders if the others are okay. They wonder if the others intentionally left, or if the portals just fucked up this time around. They wonder why it's so cold. They think about Time and Twilight, Legend and Warriors, Sky and Hyrule, Four and Wind, and how they fill a space in their heart that was empty when they woke up. Their mind drifts to the others who occupy that space. Riju, Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, Zelda. They make up their family.

Do they see the heroes as family?

Eventually, they reach their destination, and they glide down to Ralis Pond with thoughts running wild in their head. Ha, pun. As they get closer and closer, Wild sees that the hinox is awake.

Bad sign number one.

It's sitting down, rubbing at its eye and grumbling. Good, it won't see them. Their feet touch the ground, and they carefully search for anyone. Something red catches their eye. They go to get a closer look.

Bad sign number two.

It stains the damp grass and swirls in the water of the pond. Their chest grows tight as they realize what it is: blood. They frantically look for any more signs, and boy do they find them. Arrows stuck in the ground, black liquid that they've come to recognize as monster blood, fallen tree trunks, huge footprints that they don't recognize, smaller, Hylian footprints that lead towards the exit. They run as they follow the smaller footprints, not caring about the hinox that most definitely heard them. Wild ignores the crashing of trees, and sprints away.

The sound of Four's voice brings a small amount of relief. They approach the veiled falls shrine, and a strange sight relieves and confuses them at the same time. Wind is sitting down, resting against the shrine, and there seem to be multiple copies of Four, who are currently in various stages of panic, shock, anger, and and confusion.

"Ummm....."

All eyes snap to Wild.

"I'm just... I'm not gonna ask..... uh, is everyone okay? I saw you ran into a hinox. Those aren't fun. Anyone hurt at all? I don't have healing items, but Zora's Domain is right there. The inn and the general store owners will be happy to help."

"Wild! You're okay! So are we, well, actually, I got stabbed a little bit, and I also got carried, which was degrading, but other than that we're fine," Wind says with a smile. Sure enough, he's clutching his side, where his shirt is stained with blood.

"Wha-"

"We've been trying to figure out how to get over there, actually. Do you know a way in?" the green Four asks.

"Yeah, there's a bridge just over there. Are you sure you'll be alright? I've been searching for everyone else, but I can stay here with you guys if you need me to." Wild sniffles again after finishing their sentence. Damn allergies.

"We'll be fine. Will you be? You don't look so good," Purple Four says.

"I'll be fine, just allergies."

"Please, be careful out there Wild," Red Four advises.

"And thanks for not questioning this, we'll explain everything later."

"No problem, Green Four. You guys be careful, too."

Wild opens up the map, selects Lanayru Tower, and warps away just as Green Four shouts after them.

"What did you just call me?!"

Maybe they should have asked for names.

They hop off the tower and glide towards the next hinox. They get into a routine of teleporting, searching, and leaving when it's apparent that the others aren't there. The headache grows stronger, and they start to feel sluggish. After looking in three more hinox territories, they sit down at a shrine and have a small lunch of an apple. In the midst of eating, they open up the photo album.

Wild and Hyrule with a dungeon key. That had been their first time in a dungeon, and Hyrule had been ecstatic to show Wild the ins and outs.

"This is going pretty well. A lot faster than the other dungeons I've had to do, anyways. We even have the boss key! The only problem..."

The problem was a locked door. They had searched every room, beaten every enemy, completed every puzzle, and yet, the final small key they needed escaped them. 

"The only thing I can think of is that tile, but it doesn't seem to do anything."

Said tile was pretty simple, not special in any way except for it's brown coloring, which stood out against the green of the rest of the floor. They had tried everything they could think of: shooting it, standing on it, bombing it, putting the weird rock on it, throwing the weird rock at it. Nothing.

"Maybe the pots have something to do with it?" the champion had suggested.

"Huh?"

"Maybe if we set one down on top of it, the key will drop?"

"Don't be silly, cook. That's impossible."

"What's impossible? The key falling if we-"

"No, not that! Setting down the pot!"

"Wait..... what?"

"That's not how pots work. You pick them up, then you throw them. There's no way to 'set a pot down'. It's unheard of."

Wild then proceeded to pick up a pot and set it down on top of the tile. Hyrule stared, wide eyed, as the pot made a clink as it was put down. A key fell into the pot soon after.

"Hu- wh-what- How?!"

The champion's response was a pat on the shoulder. They picked up the pot and smashed it afterwards, grabbing the key and dragging Hyrule to the next room.

Wild smiles at the memory of their companion's cluelessness, then stands up. They head towards their next target- the last hinox and the lynel near it. 

Of course, they couldn't travel to all of these bosses and come out unscathed. Even if they're avoiding fights- which they wouldn't do usually, but they're in a rush- even if they have the attack patterns memorized, they still get caught by surprise sometimes. The blessing and curse of their world, they suppose.

More of a curse, currently. Nobody is facing off against the blue maned lynel when they check, but in their haste (and their growing nausea), they are sloppy, and soon they're being attacked. A shock arrow makes it's way to their shoulder before they can teleport away, which is not fun at all. They struggle for a few minutes at a shrine, feeling even crappier than before, then they get up and walk down the main road. 

If they can't find anyone else on their way, they don't know what to do. Their world is very big, and there are many nooks and crannies where the others could be trapped. They might have been dropped in the sea near Lurelin, the sand storms in Gerudo, hell- they might have gotten too close to Death Mountain. If they did, they're already long gone. Wild shivers. It's raining, and cooler than usual, and they're worried for their teammates- friends. No, they might as well say it, brothers. These people have become family.

Wild wonders when that happened.

After shooting down a few octoroks, they sneeze. They pull their hood closer- when did it get so cold? And aren't there supposed to be lizalfos here? There's no trace of them, except for the telltale footprints and makeshift weapons. Speaking of footprints, there are two other sets of them. Hylian. Recent.

Wild starts running as they thank the goddess for the muddy ground that made their mediocre tracking easier. They aren't cold anymore, in fact, they're hellish hot. They're not as fast as usual, but it's still faster than walking, and they need to see who it is. Worst case scenario, they're Yiga. Best case, all six of the missing members are there, and they're in two stacks, each with three people. Why? Well, it's the only thing that explains there only being two sets of footprints when there's six people.

In the end, however, that's not the case. Wild finds the owners of the footprints stopped in front of the thorny brambles that always seem to grow back, no matter how many fire arrows Wild used. They seem to be discussing how to get past it, when they turn to see Wild.

Wild feels like they're being roasted alive, they're shaking and nauseous, and they're tired as fuck. They still manage to smile when they meet the eyes of Twilight and Hyrule.

And then they fall.

"Cub!"

"Wild! Oh Hylia, what happened to you?"

They're only able to groan in response, feeling everything crashing into them full force. They lean against Twilight- when did he get here? Wild barely registers someone's fingers running through his hair, when the little food they had eaten comes back up.

"Oh, cub..."

"He was fine yesterday... Twilight, we have to get him somewhere he can rest."

"Zora's Domain," they whisper, trying to push aside the hurt they feel from the word 'he'.

"Z-Zoras?!"

"It's alright, they're peaceful in this time. And cub, eh, Wild, the blood moon brought back all those nasty lizalfos. You won't be safe in this state."

"He needs somewhere that's not out here, though."

The conversation falls into the background, and Wild leans miserably against Hyrule. The fingers start combing through their hair again, and they let sleep overtake them.

"Wild. Hey, Wild."

They're being shaken awake. They groan and snuggle more into the warmth of... whatever that is.

"Cmon, cub. We have to get going."

"He looks so comfy, Twi."

"I know, but it's like you said. He can't stay out here."

Wild opens their eyes, Twilight crouching down next to them and Hyrule nowhere to be seen. They panic, looking and not seeing, until they find that they were cuddled into Hyrule's side.

"O-oh. Sorry....."

"Don't be. Now, come on. Twilight cleared all the monsters, so we should be able to make it to safety now."

They nod their head, and try standing up. Before they can fall, Twilight steps in, catches them, and picks them up.

"Put me down."

"Not a chance. You need your rest."

"Put. Me. Down."

"Not. A. Chance. Wild, you're sick."

"Come on, you two. We need to go."

They groan and give in. Thinking back to what Wind said earlier, he can’t help but agree. This is degrading. They block the conversation out, thinking about Sky, Legend, Time, and Warriors, wondering if the thing with Four was real or just a hallucination, worrying about Wind. Twilight and Hyrule would probably like to know about Four and Wind. Maybe they should leave out the..... thing..... about Four, in case they were actually seeing things.

“Guys?”

“What’s wrong? Are you gonna throw up? Do you need to sit down? Is your fever getting worse? Do-“

“No no, I’m fine, Twi. Just thought you’d wanna know that Four and Wind made it to Zora’s Domain. Wind is injured, but the innkeeper is always happy to lend a helping hand, so he’s gonna be fine. Plus, he has Four with him.”

“He’s hurt? How? What hurt him and is it possible for me to hurt it? Did he lose too much blood? Is-“

“Twilight, he just said that Wind is gonna be fine,” Hyrule interrupts.

“I still wanna pick up the pace. Did you see anyone else, Wild?”

“No, just them. Also...”

“What?”

“What happened to cub?”

Twilight blushes and silently curses. Hyrule giggles. Wild grins as they poke Twilight’s arm.

A while later, they make it to Zora’s Domain. Mipha’s statue stands in the middle, though instead of sadness, Wild feels as if she’s judging them for getting sick and ignoring the symptoms. Hyrule gapes at his surroundings with wide eyes and a growing smile.

“This is amazing, Wild!”

“Maybe I should show you around once I’m not feeling like death anymore.”

His smile gets bigger. 

“I think I’d like that.”

“The inn is over there. If Four and Wind took my advice, they should be in there.” After speaking, they yawn. Mipha would be right to scold them. Sidon probably isn’t gonna be much happier.

As Twilight steps into the inn, Wild grows aware of the silent murmuring. There are a lot more people than usual. They look in the direction of the voices just as Hyrule shouts in relief.

“Guys! You’re okay!”

Agh, that wasn’t good for their headache. But before them is their family. Wind is in a bed, two Fours sitting on the bed next to him. Sky is asleep on another bed with Legend sitting on a chair watching over him. Time and Warriors are standing. They look as if they were having a discussion before Wild, Twilight, and Hyrule arrived.

They say something, but Wild can’t hear. They’re falling asleep, content that their family is safe and sound.


	13. Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warriors and Time are stuck waiting.

Dear Jay,

Traveling with the group of heroes has been..... pretty good. After mostly getting over the paranoia of thinking they would take any opportunity to backstab me, I've built quite the relationships with them. We've gained some new nicknames, and I promised I would tell you about them in more detail, so here goes. Where should I start?

Time is the Hero of Time, the mini masked me, and is so much different from how I remember him. He grew up a lot. He took the unofficial title of group leader rather quickly, probably due to his calm and serious demeanor. He hasn't really been pranking us, but the mischief is still there. I can see it in the way he makes bad dad jokes purely to annoy Legend. You know, he never told me much during the war, but I could tell from his eyes that he was forced to grow up much faster than he should have. He had this look... he still does, actually. The look of someone who survived a million traumas and lived to tell the tale (though he never does). Time always seemed so much older than he physically appeared. Back then, he was a little brother I wanted to protect. He still is now, but he's also become a..... dad figure, to me and the group.

Wind is the Hero of Winds, our sailor, and he's also different, but not much. He's a bit taller, his clothes a bit smaller on him, the weight of being the hero pressing down on his shoulders a bit more. But he's still alive, hasn't gained any new scars, and he's just as optimistic, bouncy, and cheerful as I remember. When I met Wind, he was barely thirteen years old, having been thrown through the portal about a week after his birthday. I think he was fresh out of an adventure, too, but unlike his first one he never told stories about it. It's a lot less common now, but he still comes to me in the middle of the night, making me promise I won't leave, promise I'm real, promise I won't disappear. Something or someone hurt him. If he didn't kill it, I will.

Sky is the Chosen Hero who Fi told me about. Fi was always cold and precise, keeping an emotionless barrier. When she talked about him, however, a smile managed to work it's way onto her face. He is just like she described him; kind and caring, yet fierce on the battlefield. His carefreeness can easily be mistaken for laziness, but I know that's not true. How else could he have become such a skilled swordsman? How else did he learn such precision? If he was lazy, why is he pushing himself so hard for his kingdom and the people who live in it? Why is he pushing himself so hard despite it quite literally taking his breath away? When he fights, I see determination in his eyes, and when he hears of our past misfortunes and injuries, he looks so sad and guilty. Why does he blame himself, I wonder? None of this is his fault.

Legend, named that because he's the Hero of Legend. I described him as an asshole, and it's still true, but I see his reasons for it a bit better now. He told us over the campfire one night, that he's been on five adventures. Five! Five adventures don't just happen without leaving you damaged. Many of us were hurt immensely from just one. He hesitated, before telling us how many. I get the feeling that he's seen more than he tells us he has, and it hurt him beyond reason. Jay, have I ever written to you about Marin? A blue dress, red hair, and a hibiscus flower tucked behind her ear. She used to talk about a hero that had visited her island. Soon after she left to go back home, Lana told me that Marin wasn't real. A byproduct of a sleeping god's dream. She told me that Marin and her home would fade away if the god ever woke, that it was her fate to die. Was Legend the hero? Did he have to watch as she died?

I make it a point to avoid talking about her.

Twilight's title is the Hero of Twilight, which made me nearly spit out my drink when I finally realized who he was. He's the one who helped Midna save the Twilight Realm! The one she avoided talking about, but if she ever did, she said his name and title with a fondness you'd never hear from her otherwise, and she had a regretful look when she told his tale (she never told the ending). He's proved to be quite the overprotective older brother during our travels. He panics about everyone's well being and lectures us like there's no tomorrow if we mention doing/having done something stupid. He's even done it to the old man! Though, I guess poisoning the red potion was pretty stupid. He's definitely the strongest out of all of us, growing up on a ranch apparently does wonders for how much weight you can carry. He talks about his home with a smile. He never mentions Midna.

Four is the Hero of the Four Sword, and he never tells us what the Four Sword actually does. He keeps an air of mystery to his adventures, just like the old man, though sometimes he'll tell a small story with few details after Wind does some begging. Sometimes he'll go off and disappear into the woods for a short while, and comes back with a smile on his face and a few of those weird rocks he calls kinstones. He and Twilight share a habit of looking at their shadows with a distant look in their eyes, though where Twilight looks sad, Four borders on regret and guilt. His personality is... complicated. Most of the time, he's calm and collected. Some days though, he'll constantly switch between somewhat irritable, to excitable, to seriousness, to determined. On those days, his eyes seem to change colors. Blue, Red, Violet, Green..... he's a strange one, that's for sure.

Wild is called the Hero of the Wild, and I can definitely see why. At first he was quiet and hesitant around us. I thought he'd never open up. After becoming friends with Hyrule, however, he's proven that he's a chaotic gremlin that needs to be watched at all times. Remember the explosion incident? That was him and Hyrule. You don't even want to know about his fishing methods. He... seems to carry a lot of guilt. It seems that all of us do, to some extent, but he has a lot of it. I can see why. He blames so much on himself, when he really had no control over anything. The fall of his kingdom, the deaths of so many people, his own death, the loss of his memories, Zelda's century long wait, all of that is Ganon's fault. I still struggle to think that he was dead. One of my brothers was dead. If that shrine had failed, he still would be. I don't like thinking about it.

Hyrule, the Hero of Hyrule and our traveler hero. He, like Wild, has opened up to us quite a bit more. He's been rather open with us about his adventures, which I failed to realize when he said the monsters were out for his blood. I didn't think he meant it literally! Maybe I should take what he says literally from now on. But goddess, he's being hunted for his blood... I suppose we'll just have to take extra caution in his world. Hyrule says he's not good at sword fighting, but I disagree. He may not have the training that most of us do, but that's a good thing. It means he can think outside of the box more easily. He's still somewhat shy, but I've seen his bravery, and I don't understand why he thinks he's not worthy of his title.

They nicknamed me Warriors, after my title, Hero of Warriors. None of us should ever be allowed to name anything ever.

I'll write again tomorrow, as usual. I love you!

Sincerely, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

My dearest, Jay,

Today was intense.

First, we switched time periods. It turned out to be my own, which would be awesome if we weren't so far away from the castle. In fact, we didn't land near any towns at all, which was annoying. We had decided to head towards the nearest village, when a fuck ton of monsters decided it was a nice day to murder us. The life of a hero, right?

The fight seemed to drag on for hours. We didn't have any troops at our sides, like I'm used to, and the amount of monsters was far more than the others are used to. Of course, Wind and Time have experience, but it's been months since Wind was sent home and it's been years for Time. Healing and magic potions were out quickly, and the monsters just would not stop coming. We were on our last legs, when Hyrule yelled at us to get off of the battlefield.

Of course, we objected. We couldn't leave him to deal with everything alone! But he kept yelling at us to leave, to trust him, he had something that could take them all out if we would just get out of range. I hesitated, we all did, but it was like the time with Legend. He had a way to save us. He would also probably use up all of his energy again, so I urged everyone off of the battlefield and was prepared to make a run to save Hyrule if anything happened.

And oh, did something happen.

One moment, it was Hyrule versus the entirety of the monster army. The next, he was shouting unrecognizable words, and thunder came down upon the battlefield and completely obliterated the monsters. It was completely sunny beforehand, not a cloud in the sky. It would appear our traveler is much more powerful than he makes himself out to be.

Hyrule passed out again, of course. He needs to stop using up so much magic. But it saved our lives, so I can't argue unless it becomes life threatening to him.

We're all resting now, don't worry. We found an inn, and we're doing just fine. Well... most of us. Hyrule has been knocked out basically the whole time since he used the spell, apart from a few short awakenings here and there. He woke up once while we were traveling, screaming. He kept asking us if he was bleeding. By Hylia, Jay, he was so scared that he was bleeding. Scared that he would be completely drained, scared that Ganon would be resurrected with his blood. He only fell asleep when he grew too tired to stay awake. He only seemed peaceful in his sleep when we reached the inn, after waking up again and seeing that all of us were unharmed.

I'm worried about him. I'm worried about all of them. We have all been hurt significantly, some are just better at hiding it than others. I think they don't realize just how much I notice about them. It's my job as a captain to know if someone is hurting, and it's my job to help in any way possible. It's my duty to them as a brother to know if they are hurting, and it's my duty to help them in any way possible. I wonder how you would go about helping them? You were always good at helping others.

We all have our traumas. I will help them, but not right now. Right now, we should all rest. It's been a long day.

Love, Link.

. . . - - - . . .

Dear Jay,

By the goddesses, I don't think we'll ever have the chance to rest! I woke up today on a mountain that bordered this huge ass lake. Looking around, all I could see was a thing that kind of looked like Wild's Sheikah tech, and Time. A few problems here: no civilization in sight (except for what looked like the top of a dam), the Sheikah thing was most definitely not a shrine (which meant Wild couldn't teleport there), and all of my teammates were missing except for one (the one teammate not missing being one of the more responsible ones, which means if Twilight couldn't reign the others in they're fucked). 

So I expressed my annoyance by yelling at a particularly weirdly shaped rain cloud. Time didn't quite like being woken up like that. He expressed his own annoyance with the Neutral Look of Displeasure, which makes everyone feel disappointed in themselves. The Look quickly turned into a less intense look as he looked around, most likely looking for the others. Wow, that a lot of looks. It doesn't even sound like a word any more. Look. Looook.

Anyways.

We quickly determined that the group had been split up, and that we should find a way down the mountain to find them. Easier said than done, right? Well, actually, we found Wild quite easily. He had been paragliding off of a cliff, and he was too far away to hear us, so we lost him just as quickly. But we found him! After that, we explored the mountainside for a while, and found absolutely nothing.

We didn't exactly know how to go about getting off the mountain. I suggested jumping in the lake and swimming, but Time made the argument that we probably didn't have the stamina to cross an entire lake after yesterday's battle, which was probably true. It also meant we probably didn't have the stamina to climb down the mountain, either. After discussing it for a few minutes, we heard a voice coming from inside the lake.

Turns out, we were right near Zora's Domain in Wild's Hyrule. The Zora introduced himself as Prince Sidon, and asked if we needed any help getting down. Apparently, he's never seen someone up there except for his husband. We said yes, we most definitely needed help getting down. He told us 'fear not, small Hylians,' and swam back to land to see what he could do.

I don't appreciate being called small. You of all people know that though. I'm not small! I'm average height! You're the tall one!

Now that we've established that, back to the story. As we were waiting for Sidon, a few monsters were dropped out of a portal right in front of us. Pros: I was getting bored, this made me not bored. Cons: As we were fighting, I nearly fell off the mountain. Time had to kill the remaining monsters and pull me up from where I was clinging on to the edge. So that was today's near death experience. If you haven't figured it out yet, it is mandatory that a hero has one near death experience per day. Fun.

Other than the fight, we basically had nothing to do while we waited. We sharpened and cleaned our swords, Time did some maintenance on his armor, I took stock of supplies, I even considered writing to you early. I'm glad I saved it for the end of the day, though. A lot has happened. It was super boring while we were waiting though. It took hours for Sidon to finally come back with a makeshift raft.

After making it back to land, Sidon led us to Zora's Domain. The domain is quite awesome itself, but first let me describe Sidon. We couldn't see him that well when we were stuck, but when we reached the dam and he stood up? Damn. He has got to be one of the tallest people I have ever met. Also one of the most enthusiastic. He talked to us the whole way to the domain, telling us about the inn and the general store, the stone the entire domain is made out of, how much he missed his husband, who disappeared a few weeks ago. He asked if we had seen him around, and then gave us a vague description of Wild. Wild! Wild is married! To an eight foot tall shark Zora prince!

He was ecstatic to find that we've been traveling with him the whole time, though he deflated a bit when we told him we had been separated.

Zora's Domain is beautiful in this world. You would love it. It's made out of what Sidon called 'luminous stone', and the subtle glow of the blue stone combined with the incredible architecture makes for an amazing sight. Elaborate designs are worked into the entire place, and in the heart of the domain is a statue of a fallen Zora princess.

When we reached the inn Sidon directed us to, we were both surprised and relieved at what we found. Sky, Legend, Wind, and........ uh, Four were there. I didn't think that Four could multiply, but apparently he can. That was interesting to find out. Both Sky and Wind were injured, but it looks like they'll be just fine after some rest. Legend was a bit bruised, and one of the Fours had a few small cuts, but nothing too bad. Shortly after we arrived, Twilight, Hyrule, and Wild found us. Wild wasn't awake for long, the poor kid was burning up. Twilight was a bit scathed, and Hyrule was uninjured.

After having a discussion with everyone about what exactly happened, it seems that Time and I had the best experience. Sky and Legend encountered an extremely strong monster called a lynel, and Sky got electrocuted. Four and Wind fought a boss monster called a hinox, along with a bunch of darknuts, and Wind got a deep cut on his side. Hyrule and Twilight were attacked by black blooded monsters on the main trail to Zora's Domain, and Wild found them trying to get past some brambles. Apparently he promptly collapsed when he made it to them, so Twilight scouted ahead to kill any monsters that might give them trouble.

Shit, I'm on my last piece of paper. I'll tell you the rest once I get some more, okay? I love you. I'm never going to stop loving you.

Link.


	14. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four and Wind are surrounded.

"Four? Four, wake up, please!"

We grumble at the person interrupting our sleep.

"Four, come on! I think we might be in mortal danger!"

Every time. Every time we try to have a ten minute nap, we end up on a quest to save the world.

"Four, please, I'm scared."

[Wind?]

We open our eyes to see the sailor, his eyes wide with fear. He sighs, most likely out of relief, before standing and pulling us up.

"What the-"

"Shhh!" He puts a hand over our mouth and points to the right. Following his finger, we see what he's so scared about. From across a small pond, lies a giant monster that almost looks like a hinox- no, it's much too big to be a hinox. Plus, it's blue, and solitary. Hinox usually come in big groups. Whatever it is, it's sleeping, which is good. It looks like it could crush us in an instant. Ugh, it also stinks like hell. How do we know what hell smells like? Shut up. Wait.....

Us, Wind....... where is everyone else?

"Four, you don't know where anyone else is, do you?" he whispers.

"I haven't the slightest clue. I was hoping you would know."

"Shit....."

"I'm guessing we should sneak around, get the fuck out, and find the others?"

"Definitely. Go shorty squad?"

What did he just call us? We're technically more of a shorty duo. Just go along with it.

"Go shorty squad," we say as we try to give him a comforting smile. He nods with a determined look on his face, and grabs our upper arm, which certainly brings back memories. Oh come on, it's comforting. Then we'll allow it for him. Warriors isn't here, and neither are Sky, Twilight, or literally anyone else better suited for comforting than we are.

We tiptoe around the shallow pond, keeping close to the rocks that line the rightmost side of it. The water nearly reaches the top of our boots, threatening to get inside and make our socks wet. That would suck ass. Language.

As we get closer, Wind grips tighter onto our arm. Know what, fuck it. We gently brush his arm off, quickly grab his hand, and hold on tightly. The look of sadness when he thought we were gonna make him let go makes our heart hurt just thinking about it.

(I never wanna see that look on his face again.)

|Agreed.|

[Well shit.]

{Red, you're in control, correct?}

(Yeah, I am. I'll be careful, promise. Can't have anything hurting Wind.)

"You doing okay?" Red whispers. Wind responds with a nod. He tugs on his hand, and they continue sneaking away. When they near the end, and they can see the path to safety, they both hold their breaths, hoping to Hylia that nothing wakes the monster.

Maybe they should stop hoping to Hylia, because it seems She just wants to make their lives harder the more they ask for an easier time. A dark portal opens and drops even more unrecognizable monsters. They fall to the ground with a crash, their armour clattering and making way too much noise.

The hinox(?) stirs.

[Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-]

{Well, we're fucked.}

|Calm down! Maybe Wind knows how to handle these?|

{Even if he does, it doesn't look like they're going down quietly.}

"Darknuts? Fucking darknuts of all things?"

"Weak point?"

"Backs. Striking them from behind will take off their armour, but-"

At this point, the darknuts have recovered and started charging toward us. Red instinctively pulls Wind out of the way and draws the Four Sword. The hinox stirs even more.

"We won't be able to do this quietly, plus, I think there are too many for us to take on by ourselves!" Wind whisper shouts.

(How many can you count, Vi?!)

{Ten. Red, we should-}

Red can't hear the rest of what he says, too focused on dodging. The clattering of armour seems to have finally done the trick- the hinox snaps awake.

"Fuck!"

{We can't do this alone!}

[Are you suggesting we split?]

|I don't think we have another choice. Red, go for it!|

"What if this is happening to everyone else?" Wind asks, voice cracking.

"Then we'll find them and save them."

"But the only exit is blocked off!"

"It's gonna be okay, Wind. I'm going to do something a bit weird, but it'll help us get out of here. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Dodge!"

They hop out of the way of the darknuts, then turn to see the hinox pulling a tree out of the ground, most likely to use as a hero crusher. Red holds the Four Sword up high, and lets the light envelope him.

Four becomes four.

"What the fuck?!"

"Told you it'd be weird," Red says apologetically.

"We should probably take advantage of the stunned monsters now, and freak out later," Blue says, gripping his part of the Four Sword.

"Any specific weapons to use on these?" Vio asks.

"Swords work best while their armour is still on, anything else will work when it's off."

"Thanks for not freaking out." Green smiles softly at Wind while he speaks. "Now let's go defeat those monsters and find our friends."

At that, everyone goes off to slash at the strings holding the darknuts armour together. Blue, Wind, and Green manage to strike while they are still stunned, Red and Vio not far behind. As they slash away at the darknuts, they almost forget that a giant hinox is trying to crush their skulls.

Actually, they probably would have forgotten, if it hadn't missed Wind and crushed a darknut's skull instead.

"You motherfucker!" Blue shouts. Though he'll never admit it, his defensive exterior hides a protective mother bear from the world, and the four of them have gotten rather attached to the other heroes. Therefore, he will murder anyone that even thinks of murdering his brothers or friends, so this hinox is in for an unlucky day.

"Blue, focus on the darknuts! We're more likely to escape if we defeat these, then run from this thing!"

"How do you know it won't follow us?!"

"I don't! I'm trying my best here, and I need you to kill the damn darknuts so I can try formulating a better plan!"

"Maybe shoot the thing in it's eye?" Wind shouts. "That almost always works!"

Vio raises an eyebrow, dodges a giant sword, pulls out a bow, and aims for the eye.

It covers its eye with its hand. Vio curses, and dodges another attack.

Meanwhile, Red has taken down one darknut. He is about to move on to another one, before he catches Wind fighting from the corner of his eye. Wind slashes at an unarmored darknut, about to take it down, while another from behind him raises its sword.

"WIND, MOVE!!!"

He tries dodging out of the way, but he's not quick enough. The sword catches his side, staining his blue tunic red. Red cries out and rushes to stand in front of Wind, slashing at the monster that injured him. It's armour suddenly falls off, revealing Blue attacking it from behind. Green makes his way over, taking down the one Wind was working on before, while Vio rains arrows on the hinox.

It clutches its eye in pain, Vio letting a small smirk on his face, before heading over to help his brothers.

"Red, we'll take care of the rest, look for a potion or fairy for Wind."

"Alright!" Red kneels down next to him and starts trifling through his bag. Wind grabs onto Red's arm again, a faint tremor in his own.

Surely Hylia doesn't hate them all that much, right? The portal that opens up and drops five more darknuts prove that thought wrong. There's also a lizalfo in the mix. How fun.

"Fucking shit! Son of a motherfucking asshat!"

"Oh no..."

"New plan: Red, stop the bleeding, Vio, focus on the lizalfo and hinox, Blue, we get to be on darknut duty."

Right after Green finishes his sentence, Blue's sword gets knocked away.

"FUCK! FUCKKK! HYLIA IS FUCKING DEAD!"

"Calm down, please!"

"Blue, catch!" His sword is thrown back at him, and instinct is the only thing that stops it from flying over his head. Confused as hell, he turns to where he heard the voice. Nobody should be over there, none of them were close enough to his sword to pass it back to him. 

Plus, that voice sounded a lot like someone who shouldn't be here. Someone who can't possibly be here.

By now, he should really stop saying things are impossible. He's shrunk down to impossible sizes. He had a talking hat. He's one fourth of a person, for Hylia's sake. But coming back from the dead- now, that's a whole new level. This can't be real. It can't.

But time seems to freeze, Green and Red gasp, Vio whispers the name of the the brother they lost years ago, and he knows that this is reality.

"Shadow?"

The black clothing and blue eyes that match their own, the pale skin and violet hair, the stupid smirk, it's all real.

"Did you miss me?"

The shock slams into him full force, and a sword would have too, if Shadow hadn't been quick enough to make the final blow on the darknut.

"Geez, how the hell did you get into this mess?"

Snapping out of his shock, Blue retorts.

"You think we wanted to be in this mess?"

"Fair point. I'm guessing it's a hero thing?"

"Probably."

"What the actual fuck?!" Vio shouts, fending off the lizalfo.

"Yeah, I don't know how I'm here either, so I'm just going along with it. We should probably get out of here before discussing anything, though."

"Four?" Wind whispers. Red snaps out of his shock, and pulls out bandages and the only potion he can find.

"Hey bud, drink this, okay? You're gonna be fine."

He nods with a grimace, and starts drinking the potion. Red lifts his shirt and starts wrapping up the wound.

"Is this too tight?"

"No... ugh, this tastes like shit."

"Language, Wind. You can drink some water after the potion, okay? I know it tastes icky."

"Kay..... hey, do you have different names when you're, um..."

"Divided? Yeah, we do. I'm Red, the one in the blue tunic is blue, the one in the green tunic is green, and the one in the violet tunic is Vio. The one in the black tunic is Shadow, we kind of thought he was dead up until now though."

"Huh... that explains it."

Explains what? The nickname? Red is confused.

"Don't even try it, Blue! Let's just stun it and get out of here!"

The giant hinox groans in pain. Vio shoots it once more for good measure, and everyone rushes towards Red and Wind.

"Another doppelgänger?"

"There's actually seven more, we got separated. Red, do you think he's in any shape to walk?"

"He really shouldn't, the only potion I had left couldn't heal him completely."

"Okay then... Blue, power bracelet. You're carrying him."

Blue starts strapping on the power bracelet, and the hinox starts getting up.

"Hurry!"

"Got it!"

He picks Wind up bridal style, and they start running.

"Tree!"

They reach the path and sprint out of harms way, just as a tree crashes into the ground they were standing on seconds ago. 

"You know," Wind says as they continue running, "Being carried like this is very degrading, and I'm still confused as to why there's five of you, but thanks for saving me."

"Knowing Blue, you're actually very lucky you're not being carried like a sack of potatoes."

"One time, Green! One time!"

"Have you ever been carried like that? It's just as degrading, if not more!"

"Well excuuuse me, princess!"

"Ah, I missed your bickering."

"Shadow, I don't think you understand how many questions I have."

"You're welcome, Wind," Red responds with a sigh.

They continue running until they reach one of Wild's shrines. Blue curses.

"Woah! Guys, look!" Red points toward a huge building made of blue stone. Staircases, bridges, and archways make it all the more beautiful. A giant fish statue sits atop the whole thing.

"What incredible architecture! I can't imagine that stone was easy to find either, it must have taken ages to complete construction! When we find Wild, I'm going to ask him so many questions about this place- after I'm done getting answers from you, of course," Vio says, looking at Shadow. Shock and barely concealed excitement still dance in his eyes.

"Already told you Vi, I don't have the slightest idea of why or how I'm here. I was dead, then there was a bright light and a weird portal, and now I'm not dead."

"I have a few questions for you myself, but for now we need to figure out how to get in. Wind needs a resting place, and hopefully some potion or a fairy. Once we've found those things, we can start harassing Shadow for answers. Okay?"

"All I see is a waterfall, a lake, and no way in. What's your suggestion, Green? Swimming?"

"I'm figuring it out, Blue."

"Can you please put me down? Degrading, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Blue sets Wind down so he's sitting up against the shrine. Red gives Shadow a quick hug, before going to sit down next to him.

"The place looks rather symmetrical. See that bridge over there? I doubt they would have that without another one connecting this side."

"So where is it, genius?"

"Blue, have you ever heard of this thing called 'perspective'? The bridge could very likely-"

"Umm....."

Everyone turns to see Wild awkwardly standing there with a confused expression. His face is flushed, and his hands are slightly shaking.

"I'm just... I'm not gonna ask..... uh, is everyone okay? I saw you ran into a hinox. Those aren't fun. Anyone hurt at all? I don't have healing items, but Zora's Domain is right there. The inn and the general store owners will be happy to help."

"Wild! You're okay! So are we, well, actually, I got stabbed a little bit, and I got carried, which was degrading, but other than that we're fine."

"Wha-"

"We've been trying to figure out how to get over there, actually. Do you know a way in?" Green asks.

"Yeah, there's a bridge just over there. Are you sure you'll be alright? I've been searching for everyone else, but I can stay here with you guys if you need me to."

"We'll be fine. Will you be? You don't look so good," Vio says.

"I'll be fine, just allergies."

"Please, be careful out there Wild," Red advises.

"And thanks for not questioning this, we'll explain everything later."

"No problem, Green Four. You guys be careful, too."

"What did you just call me?!" Green shouts as Wild disappears on a shower of blue light.

"Well, what did you expect him to call you?"

"Please tell me that's not what you've been saying in your head, Wind."

"No, but Red told me your names, and if he didn't I probably would be."

"Eh..... let's just go to that inn he was talking about....." Green says disappointedly.

About ten minutes later, Wind is in bed and getting his wounds tended to properly. While Red disinfects and bandages the cut, the colors talk among each other.

"It was weird, being dead. It was really dark, and I didn't remember anything about my life. I was just... there. I could hear small snippets of conversations, but other than that, nothing. Then one day, I could actually hear what was going on. There were some people talking about a blood moon or something? One of them sounded like that scarred kid from earlier. Then there was this bright light, I got my memories back, and a portal opened up. I could sense you guys through it, and honestly I was very bored, so I hopped on through. Then I saw you guys being attacked, and y'all know the rest."

"Huh... interesting..." Vio has The Look on his face. He snaps out of his pondering, sighs, and smiles at Shadow.

"In any case... I'm glad you're back."

"Vio exhausted everyone involved trying to find a way to get you back," Green says. 

"Oh, I know," Shadow replies.

"Wait, what?"

"So, you know how you came to my grave to say your goodbyes or whatever?"

"You heard that?!" Blue shouts, face slightly red.

"What, are you embarrassed or something?"

"N-no!"

Shadow laughs, before his expression falls slightly.

"You- did you guys really mean what you said? You weren't just... saying things?"

"Of course we meant it!" Red exclaims.

"Yeah, we meant it, idiot," Blue grumbles, leaning over to mess up his hair.

"Every word," Vio says, giving Shadow a side hug.

"Why wouldn't we mean it?" Green asks, leaning against his other side.

There's a moment of silence. Shadow smiles, ignores the lump on his throat, and whispers.

"Thanks, guys."

And for a while, everything is peaceful.

"Four? Wind? Is that you?"


	15. Hyrule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule and Twilight get harassed by octoroks and lizalfos.

I wake up with a jolt, dreams of being chased and sacrificed fading away. I take in deep breaths, looking at our new surroundings and scanning for my teammates. Let's see... grass, path, cliff, ooo, pretty bridge, big thing built out of Wild's shiekah stuff in the distance, Twilight, river.....

Where's everyone else? Grass, path, cliff, bridge, big shiekah thing, Twilight, river...

Grass, bridge, big thing, Twilight, river...

Where are they? What happened? Where did they go?!

"Twilight! Ranch hand, wake up!"

He shoots up, hand flying towards his sword before realizing there's no danger.

"Hyrule? What's wrong? Where is everyone?"

"I don't know! I can't see them anywhere!"

"What?!"

He's definitely awake now. Twilight looks at our surroundings and groans. He runs his fingers through his hair, a worried expression working its way into his face, then turns to me.

"I know where we are."

"But I thought this was Wild's Hyrule?"

"It is, we have some... shared experiences. This path leads to a safe place, but the way there is dangerous," he says as he stands up. He offers me his hand, and I respond as he helps me.

"How dangerous?"

"There are a heck ton of enemies, some of them can use electricity."

I take that in, biting my lower lip. If this place was dangerous already... what if they're black blooded? We have very few supplies after yesterday's battle. I heard Time and Warriors talking, trying to make sure everyone had at least one red potion, though I don't know if they were able to do that. Looking through my bag, it looks like my last red potion was replaced with a blue one. 

"Should we go there?"

"Huh?" It looks like Twilight was lost in thought.

"The safe place. We could restock and maybe find everyone else."

He considers it, pacing while he thinks. He mutters something under his breath, then turns to me.

"That'd probably be for the best. Let's be careful on the way up, though. We gotta be in good condition if we wanna look for the others, especially here in Lanayru."

"Okay. Uh... before we go, though....."

"What is it, Hyrule?"

I didn't trust any of them at first, and I made it obvious. I was especially nervous about Twilight. Out of everyone in the group, his magical signature is the darkest. But after spending time with them all, watching how worried Twilight gets over the smallest scratches on us, I don't feel the need to worry anymore. I still haven't known them all that long, and I'm sure there's something he's hiding, but I can trust him. I can trust all of them. Legend told me about how the ranch hand got when Wild and I were in that dungeon, and the same thing is happening here. He's worried, he already seems stressed. I... can't just let him feel that way without trying to help.

"Try not to worry so much, okay? They'll be fine, I know it. If they're in pairs like we are, they can take care of each other."

Hhhhhhhh goddesses above, why have you cursed me with horrible social skills and little knowledge of how to help people feel better?

I'm broken out of my thoughts by a hand ruffling my hair. Twilight is smiling at me, and I suddenly realize just how much he looks like Time.

"Thanks, Rule. Let's go find the rest, yeah?"

A nickname for my nickname?

"Yeah, let's go."

Huh. I have a new nickname for my new nickname. Weird.

As we cross the bridge, I notice something in the water.

"Twilight? Is that one of the electricity enemies?"

"Not sure, it's a lizalfo. No idea if it has shock arrows or not. We'd better avoid any fights we can, don't wanna get injured while we only have two potions. Just be quiet, and we'll be fine."

"What about that one?" I ask, pointing at another lizalfo not too far away from the bridge. "I don't think there's any avoiding it."

"Shit."

"What's shit?" Now probably isn't the time, but I need to know. Twilight tenses up.

"You don't know what- oh my god, you don't know curse words!" He says this loud enough that both lizalfos hear us and start attacking. It must be common knowledge, then. I'll ask him what it is again after the fight.

I block an attack with my shield, then kick its knee and slash at its torso. The blood comes away red. Good. Hopefully the others don't have to face any black blooded monsters.

I take the opportunity to thrust my sword into the lizalfo's stomach. Something behind me falls to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a blur of green and red. I turn to make sure it's not my teammate-

"Watch out!"

Something slams into my shoulder, making me fall to the ground of the slick blue bridge. I hear something splash in the river. Twilight rushes to my side and stands in front of me, bow raised.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just.... ew, what is this stuff? Mud?"

"I think that's what these things shoot."

Something jumps out of the water, one of Wild's octoroks, and Twilight shoots it down before it can do anything. He then turns and offers me a hand, which I take with a smile.

"Are you okay, Twilight? Do I need to heal anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Not even a scratch. Besides, you're supposed to be taking it easy on the magic."

"I'm really fine-"

"Nope, none of that. I've had experience with directionally challenged arson gremlins, and fine usually means not fine." We've started walking down the path again.

"I'm not directionally challenged!" I don't even know what it means. "Also, you didn't answer my question earlier." His face falls.

"You can ask Legend and Wind when we find them. I'm not gonna be the one ruining your innocence."

I'm not pouting. I'm not.

The path to safety seems more and more like a path of doom every second we spend on it. An octorok, which Twilight throws a rock at, another octorok, which we decide to run from, a confusing turn which leads to a black blooded lizalfo. While we're fighting that lizalfo, we find that the octorok has a perfect view of us.

Twenty minutes later, we rest near a log and some blue mushrooms. We're lucky to be uninjured other than the scratch on Twilight's cheek. We sit next to each other, leaning against the wall of a cliff side.

"Hey Twilight, do you think that Wild ate one of those the first time he saw one? Without checking to see if it was safe?"

"Definitely. You've seen him while we're traveling. I swear, I think I saw him snacking on rocks once."

This sends me into a fit of giggles. Twilight joins in, then starts telling me about other crazy things he's seen Wild eat, which makes me laugh harder, which makes him laugh harder. He ends up leaning against me, his arm and shoulder touching mine. At first, I want to flinch away, but then the contact starts to feel... nice. Twilight is warm. I think I want to lean into the contact.

It takes me a bit to realize that I did just that.

Luckily, Twilight doesn't seem to mind. He just continues on with his story of how Wild picked up a lizard and nearly stuck it in his mouth before Four smacked it out of his hands.

I'm a little sad when it's time to get back up and continue down the trail.

It's surprisingly peaceful. There aren't any enemies, but we still keep our guard up. Tiny drops of rain start to fall from the sky. One falls on my nose, another on my right arm. I look up at the clouds, wondering if Sky is sad since they cover up the blue that he loves, when a drop of water lands in my eye.

"Ack!"

"Are you okay?"

"It fell in my eye!"

"Pht- I see..."

"Stop laughing, Twilight!"

We eventually reach a lizalfo and a problem. The lizalfo has black blood, but after a few minutes we're able to take it down. That isn't the problem.

The giant wall of thorns is.

"Any idea of how to get past this?"

"Yeah, but we don't have fire arrows."

Fire arrows? Those sound like a lot of fun. Are those the type of arrows that Wild used on our trip?

"I'm sure there are other ways to start a fire. We'll just have to be creative."

"The last thing we need is you being creative with fire."

"But that's exactly what we need. You were the one who brought up fire arrows."

He does his best to copy the old man's Neutral Look of Displeasure. He doesn't do very good.

"You know, I have a spell that can-"

"We're not using magic, remember? You exhausted yourself yesterday."

"Hmm....... what about my Magical Rod?"

"Your what now?"

We're interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps and loud breathing. We turn to see Wild, his legs shaking, face flushed, and a weak grin on his face. He stands there for a second or two, then collapses.

"Cub!"

"Wild! Oh Hylia, what happened to you?"

Twilight props him up against his side. I put my hand against his forehead- yep, definitely sick. I've dealt with sickness before. I could help him, if only we had somewhere safe to rest. What can we do for now? What can help him feel better?

A memory comes to mind. The single time I was sick around other people. Dawn was off in the kitchens, making me soup herself, and Aurora sat with me. She was comforting me, by.....

I sit down on Wild's other side, and I gently run my fingers through his hair. It seems to help for a little bit, before he ends up not being able to stomach whatever he's eaten today.

"Oh, cub..."

"He was fine yesterday... Twilight, we have to get him somewhere he can rest."

"Zora's Domain," Wild whispers. His voice cracks. Has he had any water? Wait a minute-

"Z-Zoras?!"

"It's alright, they're peaceful in this time. And cub, eh, Wild, the blood moon brought back all those nasty lizalfos. You won't be safe in this state."

"He needs somewhere that's not out here, though. With all the rain and monsters, he's much less likely to get better in the wild. I'd use my Life spell, but it only works on injuries, and my magic is still recovering from yesterday."

"What if I go ahead and take down any monsters, while you stick behind and take care of Wild? We'd have to get rid of these brambles first, but I think it's our best bet."

"You'd be alone, though. I really wish the others were here...."

All three of us go quiet at that thought. I'm not so sure Wild is listening, but I can tell that he's still kind of awake. His head finds a new home on my shoulder, and for the second time today, I find someone leaning against me. 

_"No no no, it's okay! It's just weird putting into words. I've never been good at vocally explaining things. It's when... when you and another person wrap your arms around each other? People do it in greetings, or in comfort, or just to let each other know they care."_

Still shocked, I slowly put my arm around his shoulders and start running my fingers through his hair again. I wrap my other arm around him, slowly and carefully. Is this a hug? Sleepy Wild is wrapping his arms around me as well. Or is he actually asleep? Is this a cuddle?

.....I like cuddles. I think cuddles are my favorite.

I'm so focused on the cuddle, I don't notice Twilight taking Wild's Sheikah Slate until I hear the snap of the camera rune. I look up at him, about to make a weak argument, when I see the biggest, warmest smile I've ever seen on him.

There's no way I can tell him not to take pictures of this now.

"You can go ahead. I'll protect him. Promise."

Twilight keeps smiling, but he nods his head and turns towards the thorns. He whips out a lantern and burns it all down.

And he calls us the arson gremlins.

"You sure you won't get sick? I don't need to come back to both of y'all losing your lunches."

"I'm fine, I don't get sick easily."

"Alright, then. If you get a cold, I'm gonna say I told you so. Bye, Rule. I'll be back."

"Wait!"

"What's up?"

"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." I fish out my Magical Rod and toss it over to him.

Twilight seems to want to say something, but in the end, he just nods, a determined look in his eyes, and heads off alone.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not worried. I want to after him and help, but... Wild is sick. Wild is sick and asleep and vulnerable. And we're having cuddle time together.

I like cuddle time. I'll have to thank Sky for explaining it to me when I see him again. Because I will see him again. I'll see him, and Legend, Warriors, Time, Four, and Wind, and I'll tell them I learned about cuddles and I'll ask what shit means and everything will be okay.

.....I'm scared of being alone again.

When that thought pops into my head, Wild groans and his grip on me tightens. I let out a deep breath.

"You know Wild, I heard someone talking about family once. It was a villager in the Town of Saria. I didn't know what it meant, so I asked my Zeldas. Dawn said that family can mean different things to different people. I asked what it meant to them, and Aurora said that a family is two or more people who love each other and take care of each other. She said that they're the people you'll always love, no matter how much you hate them. That was confusing. I think I understand a little bit more, now."

While I talk, I keep combing my fingers through his hair. I manage to get him to drink a little bit of water. Then, I lower my voice, for no reason at all other than the feeling that I should.

"Dawn and Aurora are my family. I knew that from the moment they told me what a family was. I think that you guys are my family too. It's nice. I didn't have a family before Dawn. I lived in an orphanage when I was really small, and then I ran away and grew up in the wild."

Wild buries his face into my tunic. I rest my chin on top of his head.

"I'm glad you're my family, Wild. I promise that I'll help you get better."

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my story! This is the first time I’m working with AO3, so bear with me, and please comment on any mistakes. Thank you for reading!


End file.
